Shooting Star
by Jelp
Summary: Unbeknownst to eighteen-year-old Luke Skywalker, he's become the star of a controversial documentary. After its release both the Imps and Rebels alike want to get their hands on him: especially one angry Sith Lord hell bent on retrieving his son.
1. Chapter 1: The Hot Shot

I don't own Star Wars.

Unbeknownst to eighteen-year-old Luke Skywalker, he's become the star of a controversial documentary. After its release both the Imps and Rebels alike want to get their hands on him: especially one angry Sith Lord hell bent on retrieving his son.

**Shooting Star**

**Chapter One: The Hot Shot **

"Stupid vaporator," Luke Skywalker grumbled to himself. It was a regular complaint that he had when working on this vaporator – for all sixty-three GX-8 water vaporators located on the Lars' moisture farm as a matter of fact. No matter how many times he said it, it still held true. At least Luke thought so. They broke down almost constantly due to the heat and sand, and the droid patch-in units that were used to translate the binary language needed almost as much maintenance as the vaporators themselves.

He knew complaining would get him nowhere, but as it was, he wasn't going _anywhere_. Fixing vaporators was the only "purpose" his life held at the moment. Even as his eyes drifted off over the dunes toward the direction of Beggar's canyon, he knew daydreaming would only add time onto his work schedule and make it longer than necessary for him to get to where he really wanted to be. Not to mention he had a feeling if he focused and got his work down early, he might be able to get an evening to hang out with his friends, something he hadn't done in over two weeks. Reminding himself to stay focused, he did another cursory check of the repairs he had done, added more coolant, and repowered the vaporator's cooling unit. This should be his last job of the day. Theoretically. He had fixed all the usual problems with the vaporators and was hoping his Uncle Owen might let him go into Anchorhead. His uncle had been a bit more lenient as of late because Luke had been sulking after his best friend's departure to the Academy.

And even though he missed Biggs, the fact that he was now given more freedom to get to Beggar's canyon (even if his uncle didn't know that was where he usually headed) was almost worth the loneliness. In fact, he'd been spending his new found freedom racing instead of seeing his other friends. When he flew it felt as though he could do anything. He felt powerful in a way that nothing else had ever made him feel. When he was out flying his skyhopper, he was free.

People thought he was crazy to take it through Beggar's canyon even when a swoop, smaller, and only maxing out at speeds around 600 kilometers per hour was dangerous enough. The additional juice he'd added to his skyhopper made it exceed the usual 1200 kilometers per hour. It traveled faster even than the podracers which used to race through the canyons. Of course, the skyhopper could travel far higher than a swoop or podracer as it was an airspeeder, allowing better maneuverability over the canyons if necessary.

It would give him the practice he needed for when he applied for the academy. If he ever got to leave. He sighed as he tapped the hydrospanner in his hand thoughtfully. Really, flying was the only excitement he had here. Nothing exciting happened in his life. Discounting Tusken raids. His eyes darted over the seemingly endless sea of sand and rock toward we he could just barely see the homestead. Even though the grave markers had been taken down due to the fear that Tuskens might scavenge the graves, he still knew where they were and knew the story behind each person lying beneath the desert sand. He'd heard enough stories of his grandmother's death to know the thrill of surviving a raid from the sandpeople was too much of a risk to count that as a thrill.

Still, what he wouldn't give to find more excitement in his life. Biggs had been gone about seven months, and yet it felt like an eternity.

"Shooting stars one day..." Luke murmured to himself, his head lost in the stars he so wished to fly among one day.

A faint sound of power buzzing to life let Luke know that the mechanism had indeed been fixed, now humming back to work with a faint whir.

Sighing, Luke turned his attention back to the vaporator in question. However, something nagging at him made him turn around. His eyes scanned the area around him. Off in the distance he saw a cloud of sand being kicked up from what was unmistakably a speeder. Frowning, not recognizing the vehicle, Luke went to the landspeeder and quickly grabbed his binoculars and watched the approaching speeder. The ship was piloted by a young woman he didn't recognize. There was another woman sitting behind her. Luke saw that the woman was also scanning the area with her binoculars. By the way they were both dressed, they were definitely not native to Tatooine. He also would bet they were both lost. Who in their right mind would bother making a trek out to this ball of dust, rock, and heat? Especially a trip out to the Lars' homestead.

And even though they looked harmless, Luke knew from his own experiences with his female, well, she wasn't really a friend per se, acquaintance, Camie, that just because they didn't look it, they could be dangerous. Luke grinned to himself, remembering what his uncle had once told him: all women were dangerous.

A strange feeling clenched his gut as the smile faded from his face. He didn't know why, but he had a feeling of great foreboding and an almost tangible urge to look around him with the binoculars. Knowing it was always a good idea to go with his gut, Luke scanned the area to the right of the approaching speeder, only to note that there were three sandpeople climbing up slowly along a dune ridge right behind them. With the one woman piloting and the other busy scanning the area only in front of her, Luke knew they weren't going to stand a chance. He tried shouting out to the women to be careful, but they appeared completely ignorant of their plight. Or they just thought he was crazy and was ignoring him. Even just three Tuskens could do a good deal of damage with their long range weapons, not to mention Luke could now see their banthas close by. Judging by the way they began to head towards the banthas, not only would the sandpeople be shooting at the women, once they were done with them, they would head toward _him_.

"Kreth!" Luke swore before jumping in his landspeeder, grabbing the blaster at hand, hoping he would make it in time. He had one hand still holding the binoculars, noting the Tuskens appeared to be getting excited at his movements, pulling long range rifles from the rucksacks on their banthas. With one hand holding the binoculars and the other holding the blaster, Luke moved his leg up, driving with his knee. It'd been something he'd taught himself how to do when he'd seen another species with legs too long for the speeder using his knees to drive. Of course, it had merely been a game to see if he could do it, but Luke was grateful for the ability now.

Just a little closer...if only he could get a little closer!

The women seemed to have noticed him at last. The driver wore a look of fear - but the fear was aimed at him. He supposed with his blaster raised she thought that he was going to attack her. He cursed as they turned around in apparent fear of him, but it was a move that saved their lives. The Tuskens had aimed for their speeder, but instead of hitting one of the passengers, it dinged off the hull. It startled the driver enough that her steering became quite erratic, swerving every which way, making it hard for the sandpeople to get a good shot. Luke's suped up speeder quickly closed the distance between them. Luke hoped they had a blaster or two on hand.

He was finally within shooting range. He took his blaster and began to aim, firing at the closest Tusken who dropped from his bantha mount. Luke leveled his blaster and aimed at the one closest to the fallen Tusken. He fired, missed, and fired again. He winced as the bantha jerked. He hadn't meant to hurt the animal. But the animal bucked off its mount. Luke ducked as the Tuskens were now firing at him, barely missing having his head shot off. He drove further, praying there weren't more sandpeople over the dune as he blasted the one still in the saddle.

In the time it had taken him to shoot the Tusken down, the other had managed to get in a few shots to his and the strangers' speeder. By the sound of the scream, it had hit one of the women. Cursing again, Luke shot the third, and hopefully last, sandperson. Now almost upon the three fallen Tuskens and their banthas, Luke swooped around, bringing up his binoculars to see if there were any others around. He didn't see any over the top of the ridge and looped back around to the other speeder.

As he'd expected from the scream, one of the women, the driver, had been hit. She looked to be in her early thirties. Her auburn hair was coming out of its loose tie, and her blue eyes were glassy with pain.

"Are you okay?" Luke asked. The woman in the back of the speeder looked almost as shocked as the woman who had been hit. She wore her dirty-blonde hair in an elaborate knot on the top of her head. Luke took a brief glance, noticing she was fairly pretty, though she didn't seem to be the brightest light in the bunch. Though if she wasn't used to having Sandpeople shooting at her, Luke decided to give her a break. She held the binoculars in her hands, frozen in greater shock than the injured woman. Luke grimaced, realizing that she wasn't going to be much help at the moment. Even if she could spot more sandpeople, they needed to move away from the area. The older of the two women definitely needed help.

Idly Luke looked around. In the past, the local hermit Ben Kenobi seemed to appear whenever Luke (or someone Luke was with) was in trouble.

It was something that he had never really pieced together until that moment, but the utter lack of his presence made Luke shake his head at the entire situation. He walked over to the injured woman, noting that she had been hit in the arm. It didn't look too bad. Hopefully it was only a graze. He frowned at the short sleeves. It was clear this woman had had no notion of how to dress properly for Tatooine. While some might assume that dressing in short sleeves would help keep them cool, it would only allow the sun's rays to scorch the exposed skin, and it would definitely not help keep the sand from sticking to a work-up of sweat. The already burnt skin from the sun exposure made the blast wound crack and blister faster.

"Do you have a medpac?" Luke asked, the question directed more toward the uninjured woman. She stared at him blankly. He sighed. "I'm Luke. I'm not going to hurt you. I'm here to help," Luke tried. That seemed to make the other woman come to her senses.

"No, we don't have a medpac. We have a lot of water, but we left our med kit back on our ship."

"I should have something in my speeder," Luke noted, returning quickly to retrieve the pac.

"I'm Mirax Antilles and this is Shell-Mar Tanna," the uninjured woman introduced briefly.

Shell-Mar stared at her arm in shock, her face ashen and clammy. Luke cursed as he realized she had a shallow blaster wound to her shoulder and what appeared a deeper, more serious wound to her left side. Luke's mind went into overdrive, trying to remember the basic med training he had received in school. Nothing seemed to come to him as hid mind blanked. Thankfully his hands were moving even if his mind wasn't quite up to speed at the moment. He tore the clothing away from her side, peeling away the fabric. The blaster wound had burned the fabric into the skin. Hesitating for a moment, not knowing what to do with the more serious wound, Luke quickly grabbed a bacta patch from the medpac and placed it onto the woman's arm injury. The antiseptic should help clean it and the anesthetic should help keep the wound from hurting too much.

"Hold this on her," Luke instructed to Mirax to keep the patch on her companion. She did it with one hand, her other still clutching the binoculars. Luke looked about him. Considering where they were, it wasn't such a bad idea to keep a look out for more Tuskens.

Still, it wouldn't do to have her holding it on there the entire time, especially during a hurried ride back to his home where they could comm for help. He rolled out the white, cloth bandage from the kit and rolled it around the patch to keep it from coming off during the hot ride back.

Luke's attention once again returned to the wound on the woman's side. He was half tempted to use the flexclamps to see if he could pull some of the fibers from inside the wound, but he decided that he didn't know if it would actually do more harm than good and decided to spray some topical antiseptic onto the wound and put another bacta patch on the injury. At closer inspection, Luke sighed, realizing that the wound looked worse because she had banged her hip; it wasn't a blaster wound at all! There was a large bruise forming around the area, and there was indeed a burn, but the burn had come from hitting the heated metal of the inside of the landspeeder's inner consul. The wound had looked worse due to the abrasion and the small amount of blood that the scrap had brought fourth. Luke let out a breath of relief as he realized that the fabric had merely been torn and not infused into the skin. It was merely stuck to the blood. Wiping gently, he used gauze to get rid of the fabric before using a spray bandage from the medpac instead of over killing it with a bacta patch. Luke also administered a stimshot to help with the pain from the blaster wound.

"We'll take her back in my speeder; it's been tinkered with to go faster." The "than your slow speeder" hung on his lips, but he didn't say it. Instead, he gingerly lifted the woman from the speeder. Her arms wrapped surprisingly strong around him. He thought she might go into shock, but now he wasn't so sure. Luke laid her gingerly across the back seat and turned toward Mirax. "Sit in the back with her, and keep an eye out for any more Tusken Raiders."

On the way back to the homestead, Luke commed his uncle, telling him about what had happened. After a brief reproach from his uncle about the rashness of going after three Tuskens on his own for people whom he didn't know, Owen Lars urged his nephew to get the woman there in a hurry and to keep her cool.

His aunt Beru was waiting for them by the door when they arrived. Luke once again explained what happened and introduced Shell-Mar and Mirax.

"Uncle's contacted the neighbors. Apparently a few of the farms were raided early this morning. Thankfully no one else was hurt," Aunt Beru explained as she helped Shell-Mar into the house.

"Yeah, lucky it was just a raiding party," Luke agreed. "But we would have been next. They were definitely headed this way."

"Is there anything I can help with?" Mirax asked anxiously. Luke frowned at her, watching as she still held her binoculars in her hands as though they could protect her from anything else going on.

"No, dear. Just relax, and we'll make sure your friend is okay before we take her to Anchorhead."

"Anchorhead? Isn't that the settlement nearby? We stayed there last night."

"Yes," Beru said. "It has a small medical facility that will be able to help her with her wounds. She seems stable enough. You're very lucky," Aunt Beru said smiling at the woman kindly.

"It's thanks to Luke," Shell-Mar said, speaking for the first time since she had been hit. She looked over at him, smiling at him gratefully. Luke blushed, but felt the pride welling within him. He didn't have long to relish the feeling.

"Luke, your uncle wants you to help tend to the vaporators on the south ridge."

"But I wanted to stay and make sure they were okay!" Luke said, feeling disgruntled. His aunt gave him one of her "looks." He grumbled to himself before heading back out into the heat of the mid-day suns. He stopped by the front door, crossing his arms huffily, dawdling purposefully. His feet scuffed at the ground in annoyance. For once in his life, he felt like a hero, and within minutes he was sent off to do more work.

He couldn't wait to get off this planet! If only he could go to the Academy...

"Luke! Before you go..."

Luke turned around and watched as Mirax stood shyly behind him.

"It's just that, well, we might try and contact our ship to land here. We are going to try and leave sooner rather than later so we can get her treated at an off world facility."

Personally Luke thought that Anchorhead was quite capable of taking care of something like a blaster wound as they'd had more than their unfortunate share of problems. But Luke decided that they probably wanted to leave as soon as possible. He actually wondered why they were there in the first place. Deciding it would be impolite not to chat (and since he was still too restless after the attack from the Tuskens to actually work), he asked.

"Yeah, I don't blame you for getting off this rock, but why did you come here in the first place?"

"We decided to travel to "unique" and "interesting" places across the galaxy. Tatooine was in the "unique" category. It's nothing like we expected."

Luke chuckled. "Yeah, not too much interesting here."

"You sound like you want to leave," Mirax pressed. Feeling his heart flutter, Luke wondered if she was flirting with him because he had saved her life or if because she was actually interested. A pretty girl like her talking to him...

He sighed internally. She'd be leaving soon, never to come back.

"There's not much out here. You can see that. But I guess what makes it harder is that my best friend Biggs recently left for the Academy to become a pilot. I wanted to go with him to join the Academy, but I got left behind on this dust ball. And it's not like I have a great love for the Empire or anything like that, but I really want to become a pilot. Well, an official pilot. I love to fly. I want to be able to travel and see the galaxy and to make a difference. Here, well, here I don't know that I do much good. I mean, I know my uncle needs help with the harvest, so I stay. I feel kind of useless though. It's not like he needs help fending off sandpeople, but he definitely needs hands to help with the vaporators. I wish he'd just get a few more droids, so I could be a pilot." He and Biggs had planned for years that they were supposed to become shooting stars one day.

He frowned, thinking of another friend, Tanks. All three of them had hoped to one day become pilots via the Academy, but that dream was already not possible. Tanks hadn't been able to make it as a pilot and had decided to become a stormtrooper instead. It was a waste. If Luke didn't make it as a pilot...well, maybe he could make it as a tech. He didn't fancy becoming a stormtrooper. Though he was sure if his uncle had his way he'd rather Luke become a tech than a pilot.

Sometimes he wondered if his uncle's past made him more agitated about flying. Owen's uncle, Luke's great Uncle Edern, actually died in a landspeeder accident when he was only fourteen. But Luke was sure he was a far better pilot than that! He could even fly a speeder with his knees. He grinned to himself at that thought.

"You want to be a pilot, but isn't that dangerous?" Mirax asked. "You'd be risking your life if you became a pilot in the Empire."

"I'm not afraid to risk my life, even if it's for the Empire. I have to fly. You see, my father was a navigator on a spice freighter. He died before I was born, and I feel like every time I fly that I'm somehow closer to him in the stars. And flying isn't really that dangerous if you know what you're doing. I'm the best pilot in this area, especially now that Biggs is gone. He was the only one who could really give me a run for my money."

"And I guess you're pretty fearless if you can take on three Tusken Raiders!" Mirax said, prompting him.

Luke shook his head. "That's life on Tatooine. There are a lot of sandpeople out here. You have to be able to protect yourself."

"So...getting attacked like that, do...do a lot of people die?"

"Many people have been killed by the sandpeople," Luke said sadly. His eyes darted over to where he knew five graves lay, even though he also knew the markers had long been taken down. His great grandparents Lef and Gredda Lars, his great uncle Edern Lars, his grandfather Cliegg Lars and his grandmother, Shmi Skywalker Lars all lay buried beneath the earth.

He explained where their bodies lay buried and gestured toward the family graveyard in emphasis. He never understood why the gravestones were taken down, though his uncle Owen had said something along the lines of it being better for their protection from sandpeople and jawas. "My grandmother was kidnapped and held by the Tuskens. As far as we know, she lasted over a month, slowly tortured before she died." Luke shook his head. It was a story that had always felt very dark, disturbing to him. He'd heard about plenty of stories of people being killed and even tortured by Tuskens. Perhaps because this had happened to his grandmother it hit closer to home, but he got chills of such darkness every time he thought about what happened. "My grandfather, uncle, and about thirty others went out to rescue her. Most everyone died before they could save her. My uncle and grandfather were two of four who came back alive. My grandfather was pretty badly wounded, and he ended up dying several months afterward."

"Dear me..."

"My best friend, Biggs – well, there was this girl he used to like. Her name was Kandji. They killed her too. Biggs always carries a holo of her. It's rare that someone is saved when a rescue party goes out, but how can you just sit and wait, knowing your loved ones could still be alive?"

Luke's eyes darted out over the dune sea. Not for the first time he wondered if his father had been killed by Tuskens. His uncle never talked about what happened to him. The fact that Luke didn't know how his father died had always haunted him. It was as though until he heard the story he would never accept his father's death. He couldn't explain why he felt as though his father was still with him, waiting for Luke to rescue him. Luke sometimes imagined his father had gone out to take on an entire camp of Tuskens and that there was no grave because they had never found his body. The few times he'd heard his uncle or aunt mention his father had been in regards to his recklessness. Sometimes Luke fancied that his father had done something rash – but of course brave – which had resulted in his death. He liked to think that it might be the reason his uncle seemed so mad about what happened to his father. Like maybe if he hadn't been so rash then he wouldn't have died. That was why Luke tended to think of his father as a hero. Rash and reckless for sure, but someone who had risked his own life to save someone else. After all, it wasn't like someone who went into the middle of a Tusken camp by himself would come out alive.

For a moment, he forgot that Mirax was still there. He blushed, realizing he had been daydreaming about his heroic father again. Once again he saw her using her binoculars to scan the area, wondering at her paranoia but decided not to question it. With what had happened to her today and with the horror stories of what the sandpeople were capable of, he supposed that her paranoia wasn't really all that unfounded.

"How old are you Luke?" Mirax asked.

"Huh?"

"Well, you just seem so mature," she smiled at him sweetly. Luke felt his cheeks heat up with embarrassment at her statement. And not because it had flattered him. No one had ever called him mature before. It was kind of harsh to realize no one else thought of him as mature.

"I'm eighteen," Luke said hesitantly. He didn't know why, but he suddenly had a bad feeling about the conversation. Something he couldn't quite place, as though he had already said too much.

"Eighteen by Tatooine years or eighteen by galactic standard years?"

"Galactic standard years. Sometimes it can get a bit confusing because the days differ each year. There are only 23 hours a day on Tatooine not like Courscant's 24, and it only takes 304 days for Tatooine's rotation versus Courscant's 368. But I'm lucky I don't really have to calculate all of that. I was actually born a few days after Empire Day. Though if we were counting by Tatooine years I'm already twenty-three," Luke said. Twenty-three sounded so much better than eighteen. He couldn't wait until he was twenty-three galactic years. He hoped his life would have some more excitement in it by then.

"Wait – you were born on Empire Day eighteen years ago? As in, the very day the Empire was founded?"

"No, no. I wasn't born on Empire Day. I was born three days after it," Luke said thoughtfully. The "Empire" seemed so very far away, it was kind of hard at times to think about how it might influence everyone else in the rest of the galaxy. The only useful thing about Empire Day was it helped him remember when his birthday was according to galactic standard time.

Luke sighed. For some reason he couldn't explain, he really felt like he'd said too much.

"I have to keep working on the vaporators," Luke sighed. Really, he shouldn't keep delaying it. He really was hoping to get a chance to fly. With all that talk he'd done about it, it was making him almost physically ache to be in the air.

By the time Luke was done fixing the vaporators, he was disappointed to find that Mirax and Shell-Mar were already gone. He'd really hoped he'd be able to at least see their starship. Apparently, however, his uncle had driven them both into Anchorhead after all. Luke had hoped that his uncle would have let them stay, but it did make sense for them to wait there just in case. Having grown up on Tatooine, Luke knew that it wasn't uncommon for flashy starships to have some pretty serious issues dealing with all the sand kicked up in the atmosphere. With the extra activity from the sandpeople, it was best not to direct their attention to their moisture farm; the arrival of a ship would no doubt attract Tuskens. And to make things worse, Luke hadn't even gotten to do what he had wanted that evening. There was no way he would be able to travel out after dark with all the sandpeople activity during the day. Not that he was ever allowed anyway.

Luke kicked at the sand, wishing for the umpteenth time there was something more exciting in his life. He missed Biggs. He wondered if his friend was out soaring through the skies, doing something with his life.

Luke was not the only one on Tatooine wishing the planet had a bit more excitement to it.

Being a desert planet, it was a bit of an obvious assumption that the climate would be hot and dry on Tatooine. As it was located in the Outer Rims, off worlders would assume it to be lacking in the latest technologies with sparse, hardened residents.

All of these things holovid reporter Shell-Mar Tanna had expected when traveling to the desert planet. She'd packed light clothing which showed off her arms to help cool her down. What she hadn't expected was that exposing her arms would mean the twin suns would beat down upon her, scorching her sensitive skin even more, not to mention that the endless swirl of sand and grit clung to her sweaty body. And while she had expected to be using sonic showers, she felt that they did little to truly rid her of that gritty feel.

Her wound was healing nicely, all things considered, and she really hadn't needed to get off planet. It was clear that the wound wasn't anything serious since that farm boy had saved them from the Tuskens. She really hoped that Mirax had gotten as much decent footage from her holocam as the girl had stated. Shell-Mar had over-ridden Mirax's urges to stay longer to gather more information. Information on _what_ Shell-Mar wondered? However, the girl claimed she had a few theories that they could work with. Shell-Mar really didn't believe the girl had gotten much footage that they could use. The attack by the Tuskens was just the icing on the cake of a horrible experience after almost having their heads blasted away at a cantina in Mos Eisely. Both she and Mirax had agreed a story like that wasn't worth their lives.

Mirax was adamant that she had found something important, something that made her feel this whole adventure had been worth it. Mirax was known to exaggerate how good the footage was at times, but Shell-Mar had worked with her long enough to know that even if there wasn't much to work with, Mirax could make it seem like something far more intriguing.

It was both a blessing and a problem.

Shell-Mar's boss had reassigned them when he'd found out that their last holovid documentary had been a bit more on the theatrical side rather than on actual documenting work. But honestly, who cared about the natural habitat of the Wakrina Bird on the moon of Hureelish? And who cared if she may have put in a bit of fabrication that the local government was destroying the habitat to make the documentary a bit more interesting? Seriously. The senator shouldn't have implied he'd like to kill off the species merely because they were irritating! A little cut here of the recordings, add a few lines there, and it seemed as if he was planning to destroy their natural home.

It was amazing how easy it was to tweak holovid feed to make people look like they were saying things they hadn't really said.

She'd done those dumb birds a favor. Even if they hadn't been in any danger at the time, the local government had been so incensed by her slander (though she thought it more artistic license) to make it seem like they were trying to hurt the birds, they had passed laws making it impossible to build within two kilometers of a nesting group of Wakrina birds.

And the response from viewers! Shell-Mar grinned, her dry lips cracking in the heat, but the grin didn't diminish as she thought about all the people who had stepped up to aid her for her "documentary." She loved giving the viewers what they wanted.

Unfortunately they had pissed off the wrong people. Their documentary had been labeled as "anti-Impearlist" due to the fact that they showed a senator and a favored system of the Emperor's in a bad light. Her next assignment found her out in the outer-rims to find something that showed good Imperial citizens at work even out of the "far reaches" from the Empire. In other words, something that was politically correct and boring.

Now, Tatooine had seemed more interesting at first glance. It was controlled by the Hutts, so surely some good old gang stories would make a good documentary. Shell-Mar had hoped for an angle where she could show how they weren't as strongly tied to the Empire as everyone thought, and perhaps that would be a good way to make a difference. Not to mention places like Mos Espa and Mos Eisely were known to harbor some of the more interesting characters of the outer rim territories.

They'd landed on Tatooine's capital Bestine, and Mirax, ever confident to find something that they were supposed to be reporting on rather than what Shell-Mar felt they should report on, had immediately told her to head to Fort Tusken or Anchorhead to look into the historical reasons behind why Tatooine was first cultivated. That way they could look into the daily lives of moisture farmers who were still serving the Empire. It was something that was sure to be labeled as innocent enough, and might be a good place to start with her latest documentary assignment. But of course, Shell-Mar had dismissed this idea. She hadn't been opposed to shooting footage of the Storm Squadron TIE Fighters in the city of Bestine or some of the artwork at the only museum on planet, but she didn't want to deal with moisture farmers.

She thought reporting on something exciting would be a good way to boost her career.

However, after walking through the streets of Mos Eisley's Old Quarter sector she had quickly come to the conclusion that while there was some things she could report on, it was not worth their lives to record any of it. If she were alone, Shell-Mar wouldn't have minded, but she felt a sense of responsibility to protect Mirax. There was little else of interest that had caught her attention. Just yesterday morning she had decided to give it up for lost. She and Mirax could go out into the area where the moisture farmers were, take some sweeping holovids of how poor the area was, maybe build up some sympathy to help get some of these people off world or at least to give them some aid from the Empire and be done with it.

They'd talked to about five different farmers and stayed in Anchorhead the previous night. When they woke up the next morning, they'd heard about a few raids by what the locals called both sandpeople and Tusken Raiders. At the time, she had planned merely to go out and get some shots of the damage they had done. They hadn't thought they would be in any danger. Thank goodness for that happy trigger farm boy. His aunt had been very kind, even when

Mirax had been grilling her for any information about Luke. Shell-Mar idly wondered if the girl had developed a slight crush on the boy with all the questions she'd been asking. Even when they'd arrived at Anchorhead, the girl hadn't let up. She kept grilling the locals there for more information about Luke. Poor thing. She didn't care for how they didn't even refer to him as Luke but rather "Wormie."

There was something refreshing about the boy, and she couldn't quite place why his face seemed familiar. A distant memory made her thoughts drift to when she was a child, watching news reports about the Clone Wars. She was sure someone of great importance during that time reminded her of Luke.

"Shelly," Mirax said, excitedly. Shell-Mar smiled at the nickname. She'd hated it when she was younger, but the sincerity behind Mirax's use of the endearment always warmed her heart.

"Find something?" Shell-Mar asked mildly. Unless they were going to report on her getting shot and the brief but daring rescue from Luke then they were out of luck. It would make a good story, but a short one. Too short. But the excitement in Mirax's eyes made Shell-Mar think she might just have something.

"Something Luke said – I cross checked a few things and found something big! I don't think that kid's just some nobody. You have to see this report I have on his parentage! I have the perfect story! This is gonna be so big!"

**Next Chapter: The Son Of…**

Hello, Star Wars fans! It's been a while. I haven't uploaded a new Star Wars fic in almost six years. I have recently reformatted and did a spot check on my old Star Wars fic, Revealed Identities, but as I wrote it so long ago, please note the writing quality is pretty mediocre.

Just as an fyi, I'm going to be using a lot of characters that are in the original trilogy and some from the Expanded Universe, though a few will be original characters. Mostly I am trying to stick with characters who we know and love.

Hope you liked the first chapter so far! ~ Jelp


	2. Chapter 2: The Son Of

I don't own Star Wars. That honor still goes to George Lucas.

**Shooting Star**

**Chapter Two: The Son Of…**

"Darth Vader."

It was moments like this that Vader truly hated the sound of his steady, mechanical breathing. Usually he enjoyed the added theatrical fear it caused as people's fear increased by the mere sound. It resonated endlessly, puncturing the deadening silence around anyone he was near. No one could forget his presence with the constant, unnatural breathing. But there were moments where he wished to be truly left in peace, which was never possible as his own breathing seemed to mock his wish for silence, a silence that could never come outside his medically enhanced chamber. Naturally the sound bothered his pride to a degree; it meant he was still not whole. But all the same, he had become accustomed to it.

Yet what bothered him the most was the way people seemed to speak _around_ his breathing, between the inhale and exhale. They needed the sound of their own piteous voices to fill the brief pause between the inhales and exhales of breath, usually breaking the silence by quickly speaking his name. It was pitiful.

"What is it?" Vader finally asked.

"There has been a report of rebel activity in the Sullust system. A group of X-wings attacked a convoy," Captain Wermis explained to him dutifully. The man was barely competent and extremely on edge around him. The only upside to his presence was the amount of fear that he produced acted as a heady stimulus of the darkside of the Force.

Vader mulled over Wermis's words. The situation in the Sullust system had been tense ever since an illegal takeover had gone astray. While the new leadership had acted independently outside the Empire's verbal consent, the dictator had declared its staunch support of the Empire which was why the Empire had not stepped in to stop him. However, Sullust's people were less than thrilled at the declaration, having hoped to side with the rebels.

"Captain, I believe it necessary to remind the Sullustans what happens to those who support the rebellion. Set course for the Sullust system."

"Yes, milord," Captain Wermis said before turning and carrying out his order.

"One moment," Vader said. He smiled perversely at the way Captain Wermis's entire body tensed and froze, waiting for his next words. "I will be in my chambers. I do not wish to be disturbed."

* * *

It was supposed to be lights out for the Ecliptic Evaders Squadron, but they were too elated from their victory in the latest skirmish against the Empire to settle down. Their latest exploit against an Imperial convoy in the Sullust system had gone more smoothly than they could have hoped. Biggs Darklighter felt especially euphoric. It had been his first fight against the Empire since he had deserted, and it felt a little surreal to be part of the rebellion. He looked at his friend and fellow deserter, Derek Klivian who was settling down in the bunk next to his. Both were lazily gazing around at their new rebel friends, feeling more welcomed than they could have hoped for. Biggs knew that what he was doing was for the best, though jumping ship had made him paranoid. He hadn't been sure the rebellion would accept two men who had jumped ship from the Imperials, but he'd been lucky enough to have been vouched for by rebel spy Heliesk who had helped them get to where they were now.

Yet he still felt guilt tug at his gut. If he were to die, his family would never know what had truly happened to him. If he had stayed with the Imps, they would at least be able to get word to his family. Even though he knew his new found friends would do what they could to tell his family if he had been killed, it could put both his family and his friends in danger. If someone found out that his father had a son in the Alliance…well, it could mean death. Until he could speak with his father face to face, his father and his friends would have to be kept in the dark, believing he was still with the Empire.

Biggs was looking forward to the day when he had time to return to Tatooine and tell his father about his decision to join the Alliance. That way he could at least let someone know. He would also hint to Luke at what he was doing. If he was lucky, he would hopefully convince Luke to fly away with him. Not that he expected Owen Lars to let go of Luke so easily, but Biggs would try. Owen was more protective of Luke than Biggs' father was of him. And that was saying something. The other reason he needed to tell Luke was that if Owen Lars ever did let Luke go to the Academy – the mere thought of Luke out in one of the TIEs he might come up against would tear him apart. He would always doubt himself if he knew there was a possibility he could be shooting at his own best friend. And that way Luke could join him. Fighting for the Alliance might not be like their original plans to buy a ship together, but they would still be flying together: for a good cause no less. Besides, it would be far less suspicious if Luke were to contact Tatooine than someone from the rebellion in the odd chance that Biggs were to die fighting for the Alliance.

Biggs pulled out the holo he kept of Kandji, thinking of how hard it had been during those hours when they thought her to be dead but couldn't be certain. He hated to think of his family and friends wondering the same of him. He didn't want them to have to experience that horrible feeling of uncertainty. No, it was not something he wanted them to go through: the knowing would make it easier to mourn. Not that he wanted to die, but he was realistic. If he did die, he wanted them to know and be done with it.

"Hey, Wedge, what're you doing?" Pilot Amil Karsk asked, nudging Wedge Antilles with his foot, distracting Biggs from his increasingly morbid musings.

"Hang on. I think I'm getting it," Wedge said, fiddling with something over on his bunk. Biggs turned toward his new friend in interest.

"What're you doing?" Biggs asked, repeating Karsk's question.

"My cousin, Mirax, is supposed to have a documentary on the holonet. The last one she did labeled her as anti-imperialist. I'm hoping this one will be something a bit more damaging than the last," Wedge said, grinning. He finally moved his hands out of the way to reveal that he was fiddling with a small holonet unit.

"Come on. It's supposed to be lights out. It's one thing if we're chatting, but another if we're trying to hack into the Imperial News Network," Karsk said. But none of the other pilots in the squad were paying him much attention: all curious (and hopeful) that someone would expose what kind of horrors the Empire committed.

"I want to see it. I'm curious if they actually found something worthwhile, and if they let her air it. Doubtful if you ask me, but I still want to see," Klivian said.

"Derek-"

"I said for you to call me Hobbie," Hobbie said with a roll of his eyes.

"Fine, _Hobbie_, you don't have to be so pessimistic," Wedge said.

"Yeah, yeah. Let's see this documentary."

"There! This is the channel. Should be on in five minutes!"

* * *

Former Senator Bail Organa looked around his home with a sense of bewilderment. His daughter, Leia, had recently taken over his position as the Alderaanian representative in the Senate so he could pursue _other_ interests. He had hoped that by leaving his position as senator he would have more time to focus on the fledgling Alliance. There were days when it seemed like there were so many things to prepare, so many thing to consider. He focused mainly on distributing the funds to the Alliance without causing suspicion, but unfortunately for him recent events had almost certainly informed Darth Vader that he was no longer the perfect Imperial citizen he had pretended to be. And while he knew Leia was not one to back down when it came to discussing her beliefs, he trusted her to keep her wits about her and hoped her true allegiance would not be revealed. The last thing he needed was for Leia to be marked as a rebel sympathizer. For now, it was best that he let her handle the political tier in the Empire while he handled the affairs of the Alliance.

Bail tapped his fingers impatiently on his desk. He'd had a meeting scheduled for this evening, but Mon Mothma had had to cancel at the last minute. Their talks were always brief, but he had cleared his schedule because whatever they discussed usually resulted in hours of work afterward.

Something had him on edge: a bad feeling about something he couldn't quite place his finger on. He hoped it had nothing to do with the reason that Mon had had to cancel on him. The constant worry that someone would get caught as a traitor always strengthened whenever someone had to hurriedly cancel a meeting. He knew he should be relishing the brief respite to rest as he had so few of those moments, but the growing feeling that something was amiss prevented him from settling down.

His comm unit buzzed. Bail jumped at the sound, hoping that Mon was able to reschedule.

"Yes?"

"There's something on the holonet you need to see," Captain Raymus Antilles' voice came over the comm. The connection was fuzzy, and Bail idly wondered what part of the galaxy the other man was contacting him from.

"What is it?" Bail asked, turning on the holonet.

"Another documentary by Mirax. Only this time it's worse. Far worse."

Bail frowned. Mirax Antilles had an interesting set of parents and an even more interesting set of ideals. Her Alderaanian mother had gone and married a Corellian man with the same surname, (though they were of no blood relation). She came from a mix of Alderaanian values with the usual Corellian fearlessness and her own independent ideas. As her mother had moved to Corellia and cut off most ties with the majority of her Alderaanian family, he'd only learned of the girl's existence recently when there had been an issue with one of his former colleagues in the Senate. Mirax had been a researcher and camera operator with the reporter Shell-Mar. They had been thrown into the limelight after doing a documentary about an endangered bird.

The holovid had given her the label of "anti-Imperialist," and Bail had hoped to enlist her help in aiding the Rebellion: that was until he had found out that her intentions had not been to show the Empire in a poor light. She, like many others before her, had just happened to upset the wrong people. Which meant that the next thing she would film would have to prove her allegiance to the Empire if she wanted to keep her job.

Fear welled up within Bail. He hoped that she hadn't found something to incriminate her truly anti-Imperialistic relatives – like Bail himself. Or worse: _Leia_. That would definitely help her to persuade others that she wasn't anti-imperialist. Turning in family, even though she was only very distantly related to his wife's side of the family, seemed to be a very imperialistic thing to do.

* * *

The Force emanated from every living being. Darth Vader could feel the Force swirling from the crewmen aboard his current flagship the _Devastator_, could feel the way most of the men's minds concentrated on mundane tasks, while some of the superior officers were brooding, angry. Vader reached out, relishing in the impenetrable feeling of immersing in that which fed and enriched the darkside.

As he sat in his meditation chamber, breathing the crisp air into his damaged lungs, he could feel the spike of fear from Captain Wermis. The man was fearful frequently, a fear which Darth Vader increased each time he used the Force to partially choke the captain. Truly the man was beneficial to keep around if only to feed from the fear he radiated.

With his increasing fear almost palpable, Vader was unsurprised when this supposedly powerful naval officer stopped outside of his private chambers. Most of Wermis's fears revolved around Darth Vader, the spark of fear coming from the mere fact that he had to report to the dark lord. Usually such reports could easily be made via comm, but Vader had wished not to be disturbed during meditation and had turned it off. It was amazing the types of things they would speak about when they thought his comm channel wasn't on. They foolishly thought that because the comm was off that he could not hear or reach them. Those fools did not comprehend that the Force was _everywhere_.

Since Vader had asked not to be disturbed, it was clear that those who disobeyed him better have vital information or expect a slow, agonizing death. Of course, if Wermis was coming to him it meant that the information had to be of great importance as the man hated to risk Vader's wrath, something that generally occurred when he had to physically leave the bridge and report to Vader's private quarters. Vader began putting his mask back on in preparation for Wermis's report.

"What is it Captain?" Vader asked as he allowed the captain to enter.

"My lord, forgive the interruption, but a recent holovid documentary just aired which gives new, key information to someone vital during the Clone Wars, someone whose name you have marked down to be notified immediately if any information arises in regards to-"

"Get to the point, captain. Who did this holovid mention? It better be someone of great importance. Your life depends on it."

* * *

Luke heaved a deep sigh of relief when he'd finally finished maintenance on the last vaporator. There were some days when it felt like each one decided to be as finicky as possible. It made the day seem to last forever. He wiped the oil from his hands as he stopped to lean against the wall of the homestead, watching as the three moons of Tatooine began to appear in the sky. He used the rag to wipe the sweat off the back of his neck, watching as the third moon, Chenini, appeared on the horizon.

There had been several more attacks from the Tusken Raiders over the past month: the first starting on the day that the two off-worlders had stopped by. His uncle told him that sometimes the sandpeople had rituals that revolved around the moons and especially around the appearance of Chenini as it wasn't always in the night skyline. Speculation was going rampant that the sandpeople felt threatened and believed danger was coming, and it supposedly had to do with Chenini's revolution which was why there were so many extra raids. They felt threatened and were therefore more active. Not for the first time Luke was grateful he didn't believe in any mystical forces that controlled his destiny.

Because of the increase of the attacks, he hadn't been able to go into Anchorhead and visit his friends or to do much of anything. He was becoming ridiculously stir-crazy. He hadn't flown in what felt like years, and even though he knew he had gone longer without flying, he couldn't explain the urge he had to just get into his skyhopper and fly as high and as far away as he could go. His gut told him something dangerous was coming. He might not believe that it had to do with Chenini's cycle and other supernatural forces, but there was unmistakably something going on in the galaxy.

It was times like this that he wished his uncle would just cough up the money and buy an astromech droid so that it could scan the horizons and warn them of approaching lifeforms. That way he might be able to take it with him so he could fly even at night. He'd had the argument with his uncle before that the scanners on the skyhopper would be enough to warn him of danger, but his uncle was always concerned something would happen to him. It was as though his uncle expected him to fly out somewhere, crash, and be unarmed.

Not that he wasn't armed when he flew. His skyhopper was well equipped with weapons. He and Biggs had tagged enough womprats that he was pretty sure he could hit Tuskens without much problem even though they were more agile targets. The only real difference was that womprats didn't fire blasters back at them like sandpeople. Speaking of Tuskens...

Off in the distance Luke swore that he saw something coming.

"Luke! You should come on inside for the night!" Aunt Beru hollered from below.

"Alright, I'll be there in a minute!"

He quickly grabbed his binoculars from his belt and focused. What he saw made his heart drop. Luke wished he was hallucinating, but looking again, it appeared to be a speeder driven by an Imperial officer guarded by stormtroopers.

Luke swallowed the sudden lump in his throat before dashing into the courtyard of the homestead.

"Uncle Owen! Aunt Beru! There's a speeder filled with stormtroopers coming this way!"

His aunt appeared from the kitchen looking stunned.

"What did you say?" his uncle asked, appearing behind her.

"Just now, when I was coming in, I thought I saw something moving in the distance and thought it might be sandpeople. It's a landspeeder with an Imp officer and stormtroopers."

"Luke, stay calm. We'll see what they want. They might just be wondering why the Tuskens seemed to have started acting out more recently. Or maybe those two women you rescued were wanted by the Empire."

Luke had never liked Imperials, despite the fact that he wanted to go to the Academy. But to have them coming to his house made him doubly on edge. And there was no mistaking with their current trajectory that they were coming directly for the homestead.

The loud knock at the door made Luke and Aunt Beru jump. His uncle gave him a look to stay put, but Luke was hot on his uncle's heels as he followed to see what was going on. Owen saw the attempt and hastily pushed his nephew out of view of anyone looking in the doorway, gesturing for him to go away. Luke glared at his uncle but headed down the stairs and out of immediate view.

"Yes?" Owen asked shortly, not bothering to allow the Imperials to come inside. The first horrible thought that went through Owen Lars' head was that they somehow knew who his nephew was. He had spent the better part of the last eighteen years shielding Luke from the Empire.

At first Owen had had no idea and really hadn't cared too much about what had happened to his step-brother after Shmi's funeral. He'd resented him for following the Jedi, leaving Shmi behind as a slave in the first place, but for him to then leave his son behind as well...

It was an irrational thought, but it made him almost bitter toward his step-brother that he could so easily leave everything behind, even his own son. Of course, from what little he knew, that thought was uncalled for as his step-brother apparently didn't even know he had a son.

Which was just fine with Owen as he had quickly come to love Luke as his own. He hoped that one day Luke would understand all the limitations placed on him were for his protection. It was one of those things he had never realized his father had done for him until he had to do it for Luke. And on a much greater scale. If anyone ever found out that Luke Skywalker was the son of the former Jedi, Anakin Skywalker, they could come for Luke merely to kill off the Jedi offspring. It was one of the reasons Owen always told Luke that anything to do with the Jedi and their supposed abilities weren't real.

Even worse than the thought of them knowing Luke was the son of Anakin was the thought of someone finding out Luke was the son of Darth Vader. That would cause pandemonium beyond belief. It was hard to believe at times that Luke was that monster's son, but it was still true and therefore something that he still feared someone (most of all Luke) would find out.

Owen would protect his family: even if it meant blasting each and every stormtrooper at his doorstep.

"You are Owen Lars, correct?"

"Yes," Owen replied shortly.

"Sorry to bother you at this hour, but Governor Tour Aryon herself sent us."

"Excuse me?" Owen said taken aback. Governor Tour Aryon was a well-respected woman who ruled Tatooine effectively and efficiently – to a degree. As far as he knew, she stayed in the capital of Bestine, not bothering to come out this far, letting havoc reign on Mos Espa and Mos Eisely, choosing to stay on the Tatooine capital rather than deal with the riffraff on the rest of the planet. Owen wouldn't put it past her to label moisture farmers in the riffraff category, making him wonder why she would send someone out to speak with him. Quite frankly he wasn't sure he wanted to know. She was a good governor compared to others he'd heard about, but she was biased against those who were of lower social status, which was what likely caused her to only have minimal interaction with the populations near Mos Espa and Mos Eisely. Still, the stormtroopers weren't shooting at him or demanding entrance. That was a good sign at least.

"Yes. She sent us out to speak with your nephew after the holovid documentary aired about him. I must say it was very moving-"

"What? What are you talking about? What holovid? You must have the wrong person."

The Imperial officer seemed a bit taken aback.

"There's no mistaking it. This very homestead was on the holovid," the officer said. Owen stared at the man, confusion and distrust evident on his face. "And you did say you were Owen Lars, didn't you?"

"Owen, why don't we invite them in so we can discuss this," Beru said, coming to stand beside her husband. She placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. Luke stood behind her, bouncing on the balls of his feet, trying to see what was going on. He stopped trying to see over their heads once he realized the Imperials were coming inside. Luke looked at his aunt and uncle questioningly but neither said anything.

"Ah! Luke. The young man himself," the imperial officer said, smiling. Luke looked at him with raised eyebrows. "It is a pleasure to meet you."

"Uh, nice to meet you too, uh, sir. Who're you?" Luke asked, surprised at the greeting and that the man seemed to know who he was.

"I am Lieutenant Tehax of his majesty's Imperial Army," he puffed out his chest proudly, showing of the insignia on his shirt. As far as Luke could tell, he was just in charge of the squadron, but the guy made it seem like he was in charge of the entire army. The stormtroopers followed the man inside, making Luke uneasy.

Lieutenant Tehax put a reassuring hand on Luke's shoulder as they entered the courtyard.

"I hear that you want to be a pilot," Lt. Tehax prompted.

"Uh, yeah. But I thought that was the Imperial Navy's department."

"It is, but Bestine's Storm Squadron also recruits some of its pilots from the Army. We are here to offer you training to become a Storm Squadron pilot."

Luke swallowed, stunned. He didn't know what to make of the situation. He knew about Storm Squadron. He knew that they were one of the elite TIE Fighter squadrons with a recruitment base located out of Bestine, but why they were coming to look for him and why they were offering _him_ training made no sense. It was truly an honor. Storm Squadron used TIE Advanced starfighters, fighters that came equipped with shields which most TIEs didn't have. Though it wouldn't get him off Tatooine right away, flying all day instead of working on vaporators didn't sound so bad, even if it wasn't the Prefsbelt IV Academy like where Biggs had gone.

"I don't understand," Luke finally admitted. He didn't understand why these stormtroopers and Lt. Tehax had come to his house to recruit him or how they even know he wanted to be a pilot. He also didn't understand why they had sent an army officer instead of a naval officer. Then again, stormtroopers were part of both the Imperial Navy and Army. But still…no matter how many times he repeated these facts in his head, nothing clicked as to why they had appeared so suddenly.

"Yes, your uncle also appeared to be confused. Were you not aware the holovid documentary you recorded aired galaxy wide this evening?"

There was silence for a moment.

"What documentary?" Luke said. Lieutenant Tehax looked almost as confused as Luke felt.

"Reporter Shell-Mar Tanna -"

"She was a _reporter_?" Luke demanded, incredulous.

"Yes. Didn't you know?"

"They...they recorded me? What was I doing?" Luke asked. He couldn't for the life of him remember when he'd seen them with a holorecorder. And he hated to think of what he'd been doing.

"They recorded him? They didn't ask for his consent!" Owen roared angrily. The smile Tehax had been wearing almost the entire time diminished.

"I see. Give me the copy of the holovid." This command was aimed at one of the stormtroopers standing off to the side who handed over a datachip. "Do you have a holo projector we can show this on?"

Wordlessly Uncle Owen gestured toward the small room where the holovid projector was set up. There wasn't enough room for them all, so most of the stormtroopers waited outside in the courtyard as they sat down.

It started off like a cross between a documentary and a holothriller. The opening scene began with a sweeping aerial picture of the barren Tatooine landscape that Luke recognized as Beggar's Canyon. The scene changed to a shot of what Luke recognized as _his_ skyhopper racing wildly through it.

"But that's-" Luke started, giving lurch. He watched in disbelief as he saw his and Biggs' skyhoppers soaring through the canyon for a brief moment. He shook his head. How had they gotten this? This had happened months ago! Then again, it looked like something Windy might have taken the last day they had all raced together before Biggs had left for the Academy, but still…how had they gotten it?

Shell-Mar's voice came from the holovid as the screen showed a shot of Bestine with TIEs soaring above the city.

"Tatooine. It is the home to the elite Imperial TIE Fighter Storm Squadron, renown throughout the galaxy for their dedicated service of bravery to its Imperial Citizens. Men of only the highest caliber make it as pilots here. Yet there is one heroic young man with the abilities to become a great pilot whose dream to faithfully serve the Empire is so close, yet so far away. For one brave youth living right here on Tatooine who only wishes to serve the Empire, he may as well be light years away."

The next holoshot was of Luke standing outside the homestead, his eyes searching the horizon. Luke felt his jaw drop as he realized that the holovid was talking about _him_ as the youth "wishing to serve the Empire."

Luke could only stare in shock as the video proceeded to explain how the lucky reporter's life had been saved by the young Luke "Lars." They hadn't even gotten his name right! Though he guessed he had never actually told them his last name was Skywalker.

He realized, fuming, that what he thought had been Mirax's binoculars was actually a holovid recorder. Shell-Mar explained that she and her camerawoman had been out to report the historical past of moisture farmers when they had been viciously attacked by sandpeople and then miraculously saved by a heroic youth with no fear for his own safety who risked his life to save theirs. They began to show the holovid of Luke "coming to the rescue."

But it wasn't this information that began to worry Luke. The shot was cut differently than what had really happened. They showed the Tuskens firing at the two women first, followed shortly by a rather dramatic appearance of Luke in his speeder (even though Luke had appeared before they started shooting). He really had looked a bit crazy, especially with the way he was driving with his knees.

Luke felt surreal as he watched himself speeding toward them with his blaster in one hand and his binoculars in the other. His uncle gave him a look at the reckless way he was driving but didn't say anything. Luke was pretty sure he was going to get more than an earful once the Imperials left. Driving with his knees was probably not the best way to show his uncle that he was responsible.

Despite his mortification at the situation, Luke couldn't help but feel proud at how cool he looked as he shot down the Tuskens who were shooting at the two women. His elation was short lived though as the scene cut to Luke treating Shell-Mar's blaster wound.

Luke watched, incredulous, as the holovid incorrectly showed him ripping his shirt from his torso. He shook his head, mouthing wordlessly at the holovid. He had used a bandage from the medpac to wrap the bactapatch on her blaster wound! They had managed to edit it so that it looked like he ripped pieces of cloth from his clothes to wrap around her. He was thoroughly mortified as they showed him bare-chested, disturbed at how accurate they had managed to edit in his naked upper body.

Even though he looked pretty darned good, it was mortifying that they had made it seem like he had ripped off his shirt like that. Apparently they were going for the heroic-barbarian-who-rips-off-his-clothes-around-women-look. Luke couldn't bear to think of anyone else he knew watching this. He'd never live it down.

"Luke risked his own life to get us safely back to his aunt and uncle's homestead before more Tuskens arrived."

At this Luke rolled his eyes. It made it sound like he was running from more sandpeople the entire ride home. It was a bit ridiculous.

What was even more ridiculous, however, was the next segment. Again, Luke could merely stare in disbelief as his own words were spliced and segmented back together, making him say things he had never said in his life. It made him sound like he had a personal vendetta against the sandpeople with nothing but awe for the Empire. It wasn't like he liked Tusken Raiders, but it wasn't like he purposefully went out looking to kill them either.

At least his shirt was on in this scene.

"My research assistant was able to speak with Luke while I was resting from my near death experience. During their discussion, it was clear that Luke was no ordinary youth. His greatest ambition is to serve the Empire, though he's conflicted about leaving his family. And it's understandable why he is fearful about losing them. Tragically orphaned at birth, Luke has faced other, horrific family tragedies," Luke winced, hating how they made it sound like just because he was an orphan that it gave him a greater depth or something. "Luke fears losing those closest to him and will risk his own life to protect his family and friends…and even helpless strangers."

"Many people have been killed by the sandpeople. My grandmother was kidnapped and held by the Tuskens. My grandfather and about thirty others went out to rescue her. Most everyone died before they could save her. My grandfather came back alive, but he was pretty badly wounded, and he ended up dying several months afterward.

"They killed her. It's rare that someone is saved when a rescue party goes out, but how can you just sit and wait, knowing your loved ones could still be alive?"

Shell-Mar's voice cut back into the recording while the holovid showed Luke once again looking off across the desert skyline. It was all so corny. They'd cut out him talking about Biggs' crush, Kandji, and used it to talk about his grandmother, and they had completely cut out how he'd mentioned his uncle had gone looking for his grandmother. He didn't understand why they would do that.

"Clearly young Luke feels it is his duty to protect his family from the Tuskens, though he is torn each day about wanting to help protect the rest of the galaxy," Shell-Mar said, a deep reverence in her voice. "Perhaps it is because of the significance of the date of his birth.

"I'm eighteen. I was born on Empire Day."

Luke groaned. They must have had to cut that up pretty choppily because he hadn't said too much about that at Mirax's prompting. She'd really tried to press him to admit he was born on Empire Day, no matter that he'd told her he'd been born three days later.

"Clearly he was born to serve for the greater good having been born on the very day of the Empire's birth!"

"I have great love for the Empire. My best friend Biggs recently left for the Academy to become a pilot. I also want to be a pilot. I love to fly. I want to be able to make a difference. I don't know that I do much good here. But I know my uncle needs help with fending off sandpeople, so I stay."

There was a dramatic pause, a pause where he remembered Mirax prompting him. His uncle gave him a look, but Luke hoped it was clear on his face that he hadn't said he thought his uncle needed help fending off sandpeople. Anyone who knew his uncle knew that he could probably take on a whole tribe with a single blaster. Luke remembered quite vividly telling them his uncle needed help with the harvest which was why he stayed. He couldn't believe how much they had edited his actual words!

"I'm not afraid to risk my life, especially if it's for the Empire. My father was a navigator on a spice freighter. He died before I was born, and I feel like every time I fly that I'm somehow closer to him in the stars. And flying isn't really that dangerous if you know what you're doing. I'm the best pilot in this area."

Despite all the lies he had been hearing since the holovid started, Luke still couldn't believe how much they had mangled what he'd said, taking out a few of his words from one part and putting them in where they'd be taken as something else!

They cut to another scene of him flying over Beggar's canyon with Biggs.

"Before his best friend, a young man named Biggs Darklighter, left for the Imperial Academy, the two men, dedicated to serving the Empire used to race here, practicing their techniques. They would also frequently shoot down the dangerous kryt dragons that roamed the area to help further protect their families."

Luke held back a groan. Usually he and Biggs would shoot womp rats. Yeah, maybe once or twice they'd taken out a kryt dragon, but it made it sound like they went out of their way to purposefully rid the area of them.

The holovid of him and Biggs racing was clearly footage that Windy had taken not long before Biggs had left. There was actually a good shot of Luke doing some pretty impressive flying through the canyon, and they even had a few clips of him shooting at womprats, which they edited enough that it was impossible to tell what he was shooting at. He supposed womprats weren't impressive enough targets.

"It was clear from the moment Luke saved my life that he was no ordinary man. He is an extraordinary pilot whose talents the Empire could use. And what is more, Luke is a hero. He wanted to save the life of someone he didn't even know with no thought of reward or what might happen to him. Luke is a gifted pilot who wants to serve the Empire by offering up his abilities, yet torn, knowing he should stay home to protect his family. Clearly this boy was destined for something far greater."

Thinking that the holovid was almost over, Luke hadn't prepared himself for the final segment.

"And startling information discovered on his likely parentage sheds light on how Luke may be even more important than even he knows."

Luke noticed both his aunt and uncle tense, as though their worst fears were confirmed. He hadn't mentioned much about his father other than how he'd been a navigator on a spice freighter, but maybe they had found some documents about him. He sat up straighter, intrigued, despite his anger at everything they had twisted.

"While speaking with Luke's aunt, we discovered some interesting information."

"Luke's father was a navigator on a spice freighter," aunt Beru's voice came over the holovid, repeating the brief information Luke had already divulged. It showed her preparing lunch for Mirax and Shell-Mar. She looked like the ideal, kind, motherly woman who anyone would be proud to have as their mom. "His mother, well, we didn't know her well. I only met her once. A very pretty young woman from Naboo. Padme."

Those who didn't know his aunt wouldn't be able to tell, but Luke could clearly hear the way her words were broken up, showing how whatever she had said had also been altered to make the story more interesting. Shell-Mar's voice cut back in.

"And is it coincidental that the day of Luke's birth, Empire day, is the recorded date of death for the dearly beloved _Padme_ Amidala, the former Senator and Queen from our great Emperor's home planet of Naboo? She was believed to have died carrying a child. Yet could there be more going on here? Is the child of Padme Amidala actually alive and well?"

Shell-Mar's voice took on a hint of excitement.

"The very first time I saw him there was something instantly likeable, not to mention familiar about Luke. For those too young to remember, Senator Amidala played a vital part in helping put the Emperor in power, as well as to help shape the infant Empire before its birth during the Clone Wars. And anyone can see the resemblance between Luke and the late Padme Amidala."

A picture of his face was posted next to a beautiful woman whom he could only assume was this Padme Amidala they had talked about. Luke could barely listen as a computer scanner showed similarities between their faces, little lines and data parts indicating similar feature aspects giving them a 72.3% likelihood of being mother and son.

"The fact that the analysis scored a 72% without the cross reference of a father is astoundingly high odds to show that Luke is almost undoubtedly the son of Padme Amidala. The child who was believed to have died with her is apparently not only alive and well, but a hero."

An old recording of the woman in the senate, looking regal with an unmistakable baby bump flashed on the screen.

"It was an open secret that the senator was pregnant, though the identity of the father was never revealed. Many have speculated about her mysterious death. There were always questions as to why no attempts were made to save her unborn child who would have been a rallying point for her supporters. Could Luke be the late Queen Amidala's flesh and blood? Certainly. Luke shares many characteristics as the late queen, including having great loyalty to the Empire, being compassionate toward others, and being passionate about his beliefs."

There was a segment a few minutes long that showed the woman heatedly debating with others in the senate. She looked both regal and fierce, something Luke was sure he wasn't. How anyone could mistake _him_ for her son was laughable! Still, there was something about the woman…something familiar. Having a mom like her would have been amazing, Luke thought wistfully. The wish was so strong, Luke started to hope that maybe it was possible. But then he realized how stupid that was considering all the other lies they had said about him.

"Given Naboo's history of spice miners on Naboo's moons, we can easily conclude that one such navigator caught her fancy. And in her unfortunate and tragic death, the boy was whisked away to his father's family in order to prevent her foes from attempting to kill the boy. Her suspicious death has always been accounted to assassins, as many attempts had been made against her life during her days as both queen and senator. It would have been difficult to hide him on Naboo with the unrest there after the establishment of the Empire. Clearly Luke is more than just a moisture farmer; he is the son of a senator: the son of a _queen_.

"But he has grown into an exceptional young man who should be hidden no longer."

At first, the idea enthralled him, but Luke knew that it just wasn't possible. Especially if this woman had died on Empire Day, there was no way she could be his mother. Then again, something about the way Shell-Mar said her "recorded" death as though she too were skeptical about the dates. What did it matter? Luke was sure that he wasn't the son of a queen. Why should he believe them? After all, they'd made up everything else he'd said.

"Luke is a great hero, a great pilot, and if only given the chance, he might just be the next up and coming prince in the Empire."

The holovid ended. There was silence for a moment. Lieutenant Tehax beamed down at Luke.

"That's ridiculous!" Luke blurted out. Tehax looked affronted at the outburst. Luke blushed. He realized he shouldn't state that everything he'd said about the Empire had been twisted, especially not in front of a bunch of stormtroopers. "I'm – I can't be her son." Luke nodded as though that settled things and looked at his aunt and uncle. Of course he'd heard his mother's name was Padme, but it was Padme _Skywalker_ because his parents had been married. He was pretty sure about that fact. And he'd never really thought to ask where she was from; he'd always assumed she'd been from Tatooine too, though why his aunt would have mentioned Naboo to Shell-Mar and Mirax and not tell him that he wasn't sure. Probably something they had coerced her into saying.

He looked at his aunt and uncle expectantly, waiting for their outburst. Instead he could merely watch as his aunt looked at her hands. His uncle didn't seem to know what to say. Though Luke could tell that it was more due to the fact that there was too much he wanted to say and they all knew it wasn't a good idea to speak about certain things in the presence of their current company. That had to be why they weren't speaking to him.

"I knew she was someone important, but I didn't know she used to be the queen of her planet or a senator," Aunt Beru finally said. It took a few moments for her words to register in Luke's brain.

"What are you talking about? She's not my mother." His aunt and uncle shared a look.

"Luke, when we adopted you, we knew that your mother had died, but we didn't know much more about her. We met her once when she visited with your father. The woman they showed was definitely your mother."

Luke was grateful he was sitting down. He didn't quite know what to say. His mind tried to replay what they had said about her briefly. She was from Naboo. She had been a queen and a senator. Her death had been mysterious and thought to be the work of assassins. It sounded like the plotline to a holomovie, not something from his boring life.

"I'm very sorry, son. I didn't realize you were unaware of what was being recorded. And of course the revelation of your mother must be a shock," Lieutenant Tehax said. Luke swallowed. It made it almost worse that this Imperial was being so nice. He had very little experience with Imps, but the ones who he had met he hadn't cared for. The fact that this Imperial, a man who seemed like a genuinely nice guy, believed that Luke was likewise an avid Imperial supporter made Luke feel even worse. He felt like a fraud, and he hadn't even done anything. They had twisted his words, making him appear completely different than what he truly believed and who he truly was.

"Could you give us a few minutes?" Aunt Beru asked quietly. Lt. Tehax nodded and motioned for the stormtroopers to head out back into the courtyard.

"I didn't say all that stuff on there!" Luke said in a rushed whisper.

"I hope not," Uncle Owen said.

"But, was that woman really my mother? I mean, weren't my parents married?" Luke asked, feeling like everything he thought he knew about himself was crashing down around him.

"Yes, but they were married secretly. Luke, the reporter did get something right," Uncle Owen said. And Luke was surprised to see his brave uncle shaking. "There are people who will be after you now that they know who your mother was."

"At least they said his name was Luke Lars. That will help," Aunt Beru said.

"What do you mean 'help?'" Luke asked.

"You're going to need to leave Tatooine as soon as possible for your own safety," Owen said, his face thoughtful – yet fearful. The thought that his uncle, his uncle who had never wanted him to leave was telling him to go just didn't sit well with Luke. It was almost a naïve notion, but his uncle always seemed so invincible. That Uncle Owen believed he couldn't take on whatever might come their way made Luke fearful.

"Do you think he knows? Do you think-?" Beru started. Owen shook his head. A cold feeling that this "he" could be after him made Luke's stomach plummet. It looked like there really could be people coming after him. It had sounded so farfetched on the holovid that anyone would want to kill him. But it took a lot to make his uncle look so fearful. The thought that his mother had been assassinated, _murdered_, began to fill him, leaving him feeling hollow.

"Who knows what all he knows? But we can't take that chance. If this was broadcast all over the holonet-" Luke felt another swoop in his stomach realizing that millions – even billions – of people might have seen that holovid about him, "– then we can't waste any time. We don't know who might have watched it."

"Excuse the interruption, but you appear to have a neighbor seeking help," Lt. Tehax said from the doorway. "He says his name is Ben."

* * *

**Next Chapter: A Rise in Popularity**

So, was that the reveal you expected me to make about Luke's parentage? :) And no worries; Vader's reaction will be in the next chapter!

And thank you to all those who have faved and reviewed this fic! I honestly wasn't sure how this story would be received since I haven't written a Star Wars fic in years, and I must say the reviews have been very encouraging so far. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

Just to clarify, Wedge Antilles is from Corellia, and Captain Raymus Antilles (you know, the guy who Darth Vader chokes from the Tantive IV in the very beginning of A New Hope), is from Alderaan. And I know there is some discrepancy as to whether or not the same Captain Antilles seen in Episode III is the same who Vader kills in Episode IV. But as it has been "confirmed" to be the same person (despite some rather major inconsistencies) that's what I'm going with.

Anyway, I hope you're enjoying the fic. What do you think so far? ~ Jelp


	3. Chapter 3: A Sudden Rise in Popularity

I tried uploading this a few days ago. As some of you know, quite a few people were having issues getting their fics to properly update. Special thanks to whoever fixed the glitch!

**Shooting Star**

**Chapter Three: A Sudden Rise in Popularity**

Darth Vader's outrage was only contained due to his utter shock. His son. That was his _son_ on that ridiculous holovid! Using the name of those cowardly Lars who hadn't been able to protect his mother, no less!

For eighteen years his son had been hidden from him, raised on that hellhole of a planet, one of the two planets he had sworn never to physically set foot upon again. And now in his own way, his son was a slave, unable to leave, dreaming of being a pilot.

There were times when he had been a Jedi that he had wished he could forget his duties and do nothing but fly across the galaxy. The shared similarity between father and son made it more real to Vader that this boy was _his_.

Vader's mind whirled. He had only been able to stare in shock at Captain Wermis when he said that they had uncovered the whereabouts of Padme Amidala's child. He hadn't been able to believe the captain, couldn't dare to even hope.

He'd choked the captain, intent on killing him for bringing up the painful memories of his deceased wife before realizing that the information the captain held might actually be something he needed to know before the man's death. The man had choked out that there had been a holonet documentary about a young moisture farmer who they believed was actually Padme Amidala's son. Vader hadn't been able to get any more out of the captain as he'd passed out due to asphyxiation.

Cursing his own impatience, he commed the bridge, telling them to bring the holovid pertaining to Amidala's supposed son to him immediately. His rage palpable, the aide who arrived had been out of breath from running to get the holovid to him as fast as possible. The aide almost blanched at the sight of Captain Wermis's motionless body on the floor. Vader took the outstretched datachip from the man before pointing to the captain.

"Take him to the medical bay. I wish to speak with him further if he is still alive. If not, find me someone who knew what he was coming to speak to me about," Darth Vader said, stepping over the inert body. This time the aide did blanch as he half dragged Captain Wermis from the threshold of Vader's quarters.

Lies. That was what came to Vader's mind: it was nothing but lies. His wife had before giving birth, no matter how Vader wished otherwise.

Vader almost crushed the holovid in his haste to watch it. The mere thought that his child had survived was like a vibrobrade, ripping open wounds that had never fully healed. Every time Vader managed to put the past behind him, it came tearing back, forcing him to remember his wife and their unborn child. And no matter what he wished had happened, his child was dead. It just couldn't be true. The only thing he needed to know was who to kill for this treachery.

The opening scene left Vader feeling immediate distaste at the footage of Tatooine. But the flying ships over Beggar's Canyon followed by the shot of the boy in question, Luke, left something in Vader feeling a sense of pride he could not explain.

How long ago had he and Padme talked about naming their child Luke if it was a boy? It was strange...how could someone know that Padme had wanted to choose Luke for a boy's name? Who knew that other that Padme and himself? He didn't believe in coincidences. Perhaps one of her handmaidens had known.

Initially Vader had wanted a girl, but as he lie on the operating table, thinking of his wife, he had suddenly hoped for a boy because that was what she had wanted. To see this boy seemed fitting. Anakin would have wanted a girl who would be the spitting image of Padme. As Vader, he wanted the boy to be like him. And the similarities were suddenly thrown in sharp relief; the boy had been brought up on Tatooine and loved to fly.

Physically the boy's face did indeed have the same shape and softness as Padme's, though Vader saw several of his features. It was strange to see his blue eyes reflected back at him on someone else, along with a similar chin and jaw line. The boy's hair was bleached as blonde as his had once been as a child.

The thought that he was this boy's father brought back hopes and anxieties he hadn't felt since first learning of the child growing in Padme's womb.

The swell of hope rose in him as the infinite possibilities of what this could mean, if this were _true_, filled him. His thoughts ran rampant before he realized he had actually missed what the reporter was saying with how intent he had been merely studying this boy's – perhaps his son's – features. The more he stared at the boy, the more the Force swelled around him.

For the first time in a long time, Vader had to crush the Force confirmation, unable to deal with the hope. He couldn't have a hope this large dangled in front of him and taken away yet again. Vader had suffered infinitely to save those he loved and had lost everything. To see that it might not all have been in vain, to see that his son had somehow managed to survive…it was too much for him to believe if it weren't true.

But all the evidence the reporter had, even if she didn't even know that some of what she reported was actual evidence, was enough for Vader to know the truth.

Hatred and rage swelled inside him as he heard his son speak about Shmi's death. The sadness in the boy and the pain he suffered from missing out on the chance of having a loving grandmother left Vader feeling old anger bubble. His anger yearned to lash out at the long since dead Jedi Masters who had held him back from rescuing his mother when he could have saved her and his hatred toward the Lars who hadn't protected her in the first place once again rose to the surface.

Vader's attention turned back to the holovid, grasping onto Luke's desire to become a pilot. He would do what he could in order to make sure that he was in Imperial hands immediately. And he would go and retrieve the boy himself.

Vader would also have to figure out who the reporter was and silence her. The fact that she had somehow stumbled upon Luke was both amazing and disturbing. While he would like to believe it was a random act of the Force or even guidance from the darkside to bring him his son, he didn't want to take chances. He would also need to find how widely spread the holovids had been seen and delete them from the holonet.

There was no doubt that the Emperor would hear of this, but the damage this information could do if released too soon was detrimental to Vader's plans to possess the boy. In the mean time, there was no immediate reason that Vader needed to report any of this to his master. Especially since Vader needed to make sure that no mention of Anakin Skywalker was linked as Luke's father before retrieving him: and retrieve him Vader would. The piloting skills, as reckless as they may have seemed to some, showed Vader more than just an aptitude at piloting; it showed the boy had an aptitude for harnessing the Force.

Questions arose in Vader's mind. He knew that his wife had died and had presumably been moved off of Mustafar by Obi-Wan. Her burial on Naboo had been proof enough of her death. But how did his son survive? The recordings of her death always showed her with an obvious baby bump. Yet she had tried to hide it. Vader's mind began to process that very few had initially known that Padme had been pregnant until her death. Why would they go to all the trouble of pointing out that she was still pregnant…unless that had been done on purpose to make him believe that the child had died? If that were true, it meant Padme had likely died in childbirth as he had foreseen. Did that mean that Obi-Wan had left his son with the Lars? It would have been a smart move as Obi-Wan knew how much he despised the planet. Vader wouldn't be surprised if that was where his old master was hiding, perhaps watching the boy. Watching _his_ son.

Vader commed the bridge.

"My lord," Gunnery Captain Bolvan said, standing at attention. The man had come under his displeasure for numerous acts of defiance, and Vader had thus demoted him from his former position as the primary captain. For a brief moment, seeing Bolvan aboard the bridge instead of at his post prompted Vader to reach out with the Force intent on choking him for his insubordination. He knew Captain Wermis didn't mind Bolvan's council, but to see him where he shouldn't be was a good way for Vader to placate his anger: that was until he remembered nearly choking Captain Wermis to death.

Someone must have called Bolvan from the gunnery to act as serving captain aboard the bridge as per protocol until Vader named a replacement. It was something he normally would not have missed. His intent and focus on retrieving his son was so great that Vader let his rage simmer. It would do him no good to lose focus now when he needed it the most. He watched Bolvan's hand reach to his throat. Vader kept the pressure there as a warning, waiting for the man to give him a reason to finish closing it completely. Until he knew of Wermis's condition, Vader would wait to dispose of Bolvan. Wisely Bolvan didn't bother trying to speak.

Vader waited a minute, trying to calm himself. The fact that he almost forgot standard protocol told him how much this had rattled him. And he could not afford to be rattled.

"Set the ship for the Tatoo System _immediately_."

Bolvan merely nodded.

Vader cut off the video feed and let go of his light hold on Bolvan's throat. His rage was barely contained. He had idly thought about killing Bolvan, but Vader knew his bloodlust would not be sated with just one death. The thought of killing all the men on the bridge, unleashing his full wrath on them sent his passions into overdrive. Killing so many people would help immerse him in the darkside, giving him greater access to the Force than mere meditation. When he killed, it always gave him a burst of power in the darkside. But he was never able to hold onto it. That was why he had realized killing, even his own men, was necessary in order to hold onto that power.

The real issues, Vader knew, were his own failings. He had failed to completely immerse into the darkside. He could not grasp that power which would enable him to do all that he wished. But he instinctively knew with his son at his side, he would be even more powerful. Together they could rule the galaxy. With his son at his side, the two would be unstoppable. He could feel that as fervently as he could feel that he did, indeed have a son. A few minutes before he would have found the idea absurd: now he found the idea enthralling, tempting, and invigorating. Obviously this was how it was meant to be; he would find his son, train him, and together they would rule as father and son, starting a new, better dynasty of Sith tradition. His rage had not simmered, but he had become the master of it, and he would use his abilities to obtain the boy. Before long, Luke would be at his side where he should have been from birth.

How long had Palpatine tried to teach him this lesson of holding onto his rage, yet Vader had not been able to grasp his master's meaning? Now, with the mere knowledge of having a son, he had learned to master it. Yes, this was how it was meant to be.

Vader turned his attention on how to obtain his son as soon as possible. Briefly Vader thought about contacting Arkankis sector's Moff, Alexander Julstan, before dismissing the idea. He'd rather speak with someone closer to the problem, and he decided he didn't want the Moff to contact Palpatine as Moffs were known to do.

Darth Vader hastily searched through the contacts for the local Imperial Governors. The local governor of Tatooine was Governor Tour Aryon, a human female. Entering her frequency himself, Vader waited for the comm feed. He was mildly unsurprised to see that Governor Tour Aryon looked slightly flustered at his unexpected call.

"Lord Vader, this is an unexpected pleasure," Governor Tour Aryon said calmly, her voice holding sincerity which was unusual. Most Governors did not find it pleasant to speak with him.

"Were you aware of the documentary made about Tatooine's moisture farmers?" Vader asked, to the point.

"I was unaware of any documentary being made about moisture farmers," she said, thoughtfully. Something about her words gave Vader pause. He reached out through the Force, feeling that she was hiding something, though it was true that she didn't know that someone had filmed a documentary about moisture farmers, something else felt off.

"Be careful of what you conceal from me." Vader let the threat hang heavy in the air before continuing. "Have you seen the documentary?"

"Yes, though I was unaware one was being _made_ about moisture farmers until I saw it on the holonet earlier this evening. Though I do not know that it really dealt with moisture farmers so much as one in particular. I'm assuming with your interest it means that you and I have seen the same documentary. I have already dispatched a legion of my best stormtroopers to retrieve the aspiring pilot. He will start training immediately. It will be good publicity for the Empire to follow through with this lead, letting other citizens see how we treat those who show great potential by using their abilities to the maximum. A possible prince becoming an Imperial officer because he merely wished to serve is an amazing tale, even more amazing considering the poor boy has suffered so much coming from such humble beginnings. The fact that he only wishes to protect his family and the Empire is the type of publicity that you cannot buy. I have already had numerous calls from people all over the galaxy wishing to help the boy in some way."

Vader's plans were rapidly changing. It appeared the documentary had already gone public. Already people had seen the holovid, and it had been widely spread indeed if the regional governor herself was already making plans due to others' inquiries. With all this publicity, it wasn't long until the people of Naboo saw it – if they hadn't already. He was sure that the Naberrie family would want to see if Luke was truly Padme's son: assuming they didn't already know. One of his spies would need to find out how much the family knew. The chances that Palpatine would not hear of his son were now extremely unlikely. It was not a matter of if, but when. In fact, Vader would not be surprised if the Emperor already knew. And indeed, Palpatine was likely to exploit this new situation to the fullest. Ever the pretending harmless dictator, he was sure to twist this story to best benefit the Empire.

"You sent an entire legion to retrieve the boy?" Vader asked, his mind working at making minute adjustments to his plans.

"It was obvious that he cared for his family's well being, so I am assigning several of the stormtroopers to stay and patrol that area." Vader's entire being urged for him to boast that Luke was his son and that once retrieved, Luke should be treated as befitting of his station, but Vader couldn't raise suspicions. Not yet. He would play the games of politics he so loathed if it meant preventing anyone from foiling his plans. Still, the thought of his son assuming the title of prince seemed fitting. He supposed Tour had assumed Luke's title would be prince since Padme had once been queen, and he would continue to let her, and others, wonder as to Luke's true status.

"Are there none out in those regions?"

"Of course, but I trust my stormtroopers' abilities more so than others. Surely you understand this," she said. It was a well known fact that he preferred his 501st legion of stormtroopers above all others.

"Once you retrieve the boy, report it to me immediately. In the meant time, hold him there. I am coming to personally collect him and enlist him into the Empire's services."

Governor Aryon's honest surprise did not hide her sour displeasure at having her own agenda taken from her.

"Wouldn't his presence be far more beneficial out here? We have the Storm Squadron-"

"Are you questioning my orders?" Vader threatened. The governor visibly recoiled. Her intentions had been revealed. She had planned on using Luke's newfound status to benefit her in some way. The thought that this woman was planning to exploit his son led him to one conclusion: once Luke was safely in his possession, someone else would be taking her position.

"No. Of course not. I was merely stating that he said-"

"Be careful of what you say next Governor," Vader snarled. There was no way he would even think of arguing over where his son belonged.

"You're right. My mistake. Forgive me." The Governor was a politician foremost and thus valued her life. While Aryon clearly wanted to argue the point, she was outranked. And fearful. Vader could feel the darkside strengthening with the anger her words had inspired, at the mere _thought_ she felt his son needed to be anywhere but by his side, using him to her benefit. Vader felt beyond powerful in his personal knowledge that the boy belonged to him.

Vader marveled at how his son's plight gave him strength. He was in charge of the situation, and no one would take away what was rightfully his. Luke was his own flesh and blood: his heir.

"You will retrieve him and keep him safe on Bestine. You will need to protect him from outside threats wishing to get him off planet due to the discovery of his parentage. If you are _lucky_ it will only be the end of your career if I arrive and the boy is not there. Do you understand?"

"Yes." Her fear was palpable now. She clearly understood failure meant immediate death.

"Good. Contact me when the boy is in your custody."

He keyed off the comm. Within seconds of ending the transmission, his comm beeped.

"My lord," Commander Daine Jir's voice came crisply over the comm channel. The man was component. Once a stormtrooper of his personal 501st squad, and former lieutenant of the same legion, Vader knew the man was efficient. Whatever he had to say would not be useless babble. Yet even as this thought flittered through his mind, Vader knew he wouldn't like what Daine Jir said next.

"Yes?"

"The Emperor wishes you to contact him immediately."

* * *

Governor Tour Aryon stepped back from the comm, feeling beyond unsettled. She wasn't surprised that so many people had contacted her so soon after the documentary had aired, but she had been surprised that Darth Vader himself had taken an interest. She frowned. Things had seemed to be going so well too. Now if things didn't go just so, she would become the next victim of Vader's infamous wrath. She tried to brush aside the notion. After all, she trusted in her men's abilities to retrieve the pilot.

Some time ago, she had seen the first documentary that Shell-Mar Tanna and Mirax Antilles had made about the Wakrina Bird on the moon of Hureelish. She'd been rather impressed by the reaction it received across the Empire, even if the documentary had been labeled as anti-Imperialist. Tour had contacted the holovid agency that was in charge of the pair. She had asked to speak with their manager and had given him some ideas, along with the promise of a nice bonus to his bank account, if certain criteria were met.

Whatever documentary they would do next would have high ratings, mostly because of their following, but also to see if they were truly the anti-Imperialists they'd been labeled as. While Governor Aryon could not be caught inviting possible anti-Imperialists to her own system, she had made a few inquiries, dropped a few suggestions, and was relatively sure they would come to Tatooine. She had hoped they would exploit the situation with the Hutts, or at the very least, expose the kind of scum that ran rampant in both Mos Eisely and Mos Espa. Time and time again she had made complaints about the issues on her planet, but nothing had come of it. The officials of the stormtroopers in those areas were almost as corrupt as the rest of the criminals there. Not to mention Jabba the Hutt kept their bank accounts nicely cushioned to turn the other way when he so wished.

It was widely known that the region which she governed was home to criminals. And because of that, her reputation was slowly tarnishing. She was not a woman who wanted to see bounty hunters or Hutts in her sector. However, she had no doubts that if the people of the Empire saw what kind of scum lived on Tatooine she could receive aid to force them off her planet. She wanted things taken care of as quietly and peacefully as possible. But she knew that things were happening across the galaxy, and she knew that her time to act was now, even if she loathed bringing controversy to her planet.

Tour had been glad when she'd received word that the two had come to Tatooine. However, she had hoped to see their report before it aired, but she hadn't been able to obtain the documentary before its holonet release. When it had finally aired and she had started to watch it, her hopes had dropped considerably. Initially she had been mildly annoyed that the report had been about a moisture farmer. While she admitted the beginning story about the boy had been an intriguing story in and of itself, her irritation had evaporated when they revealed they might have an actual prince on her planet! Someone who, if given the right guidance, could help her dispose of the criminals. Surely a prince wouldn't want his reputation tarnished by coming from a planet known for such vile creatures. He was even fearful of the type of attacks that occurred around his home! Outing his true parentage and then offering him aid and helping him to re-establish ties with his royal family – well, she was sure the family would be so grateful that they would help her in her own agenda. It would be dealt with far quieter if she was able to find a benefactor who wouldn't mind helping to clean up the home world of a hidden prince, such as his family.

But knowing the kind of scum her planet did house, she also knew that she needed to act immediately. If the boy was as important as the reporters claimed, she wouldn't put it past some of the bounty hunters in the area to scout for him, capturing the boy in hopes of either ransoming him off or killing him if his mother had any enemies who would pay to see the aspiring pilot dead. She had not told these worries to Lord Vader, though he seemed to have anticipated the same thing as he had told her to protect Luke Lars. Tour did not want someone thinking she couldn't handle minor disputes and local security on her own planet, but Vader's instructions left her wondering.

He seemed extremely interested in Lars, and it made her wonder if the boy was even more important than she originally thought. The vague details that she had been able to find about Padme Amidala stated that she had been a Queen and senator to Emperor Palpatine's home planet of Naboo. Surely the two must have been close, and she idly wondered if the Emperor had ordered Vader to retrieve Lars.

While doing more research she had found that the boy was not likely to hold the status of prince as the reporters had made it seem. His mother was _elected_ as Queen. Nonetheless, he was still of a higher class. In fact, his cousin was apparently the current senator from Naboo. Something about him spoke of a suppressed greatness.

Though another thought manifested in her mind. What if the boy's mother was actually a traitor? Certainly the circumstances of her death (from what little details Tour had gleaned from the holonet) was a very hush-hush matter which made it a precarious situation indeed. Perhaps Vader had come to kill the boy…

But no. If that were the case, he would have had someone else do it, quicker and quieter. She had no doubts that Vader had little qualms about killing anyone as he frequently killed even his closest officers. That thought unsettled her. He had made a clear threat that if Lars was not there safely then she would be held accountable: which would mean forfeiting her life if she failed.

Keying in lieutenant Tehax's personal comm, Tour was going to make sure that they did indeed get the boy.

"Governor," Lt. Theax greeted.

"Do you have Lars?" she asked curtly.

"We are at his residence. There seems to have been a misunderstanding. He did not know that he was being recorded. His aunt and uncle are rather distraught at the entire situation, and he appears not to want to upset them further. I'm not sure that he's going to come with us tonight," he finished.

Tour tapped her fingers, thinking impatiently. She knew governors who would arrest their citizens for anti-Imperialistic sentiments for refusing such a highly honored position, but sadly she didn't believe anyone would think the boy to be anything but loyal to the Empire after the documentary. The whimsical way he had spoken – there was something truly intriguing about him.

Yet he _needed_ to come to her, for his own safety: and hers. It would make everything easier if he were to just come with them without hesitation. The obvious solution was to invite the aunt and uncle to come with him to Bestine.

"I wish to speak with his aunt and uncle," she said. She was not particularly fond of farmers. She knew their worth, naturally, but they were not of her status. But she would make an exception as they were related to Luke, even if it was only on the boy's father's side of the family.

"They are speaking with a neighbor," Tehax informed her.

"And may I remind _you_ that you are speaking to your _governor_, lieutenant. Tell the neighbor to wait."

"Yes ma'am. I will get them."

* * *

"What do you need help with, Ben?" Owen asked curtly, playing up the farce until the stormtroopers were out of earshot.

"The usual," Obi-Wan said, vaguely. Even though it had been years since he'd last stepped foot inside the homestead, he had watched Luke from afar. He was sure Owen would know his appearance had to do with Luke.

"Would you give us some privacy?" Owen asked the stormtrooper nearest to them. The man didn't respond verbally, but he did motion for the other troopers to leave them be.

"Hello, Owen. Luke, Beru," Ben Kenobi said, nodding politely to each in turn. "We need to get Luke off planet immediately."

"If you haven't noticed, we have guests," Owen said. Looking over Owen's shoulder, Obi-Wan pressed his lips together, looking impassively at the stormtroopers who were still lurking at the foot of the steps. With a gentle nudge from the Force, he made them think they should check out a strange sound further inside the homestead.

Obi-Wan turned and looked at Luke. Luke seemed anxious and was looking back and forth between his relatives and Obi-Wan. Over the past eighteen years Obi-Wan had done everything possible to keep Luke safe from his father.

Only a few hours prior he had been meditating when a horrible vision had wracked him: a vision of Darkness descending about the Galaxy, Darkness descending and dampening the bright light of Luke's Force signature.

Darth Vader was coming, and he was coming for Luke. How Vader had found out, Obi-Wan wasn't sure, but the pure and undiluted rage that had rippled through the Force less than half an hour ago had meant he was likely already coming in both fury and haste. Vader was angrier than he had been in a long time, letting the rage fuel the darkside within him. There were other emotions mixed in, but it had been far harder to determine them from so far away. The fact that Obi-Wan had felt them made him worry about just how angry his former apprentice was. However, Obi-Wan was certain that the rage he felt was because Vader had thought his son dead, only to find him stolen and hidden instead.

"Why are the stormtroopers here?" Obi-Wan asked, trying to assess the situation. If Vader had sent them for his son, Obi-Wan didn't understand why Luke wasn't already in their custody.

"There was a holovid documentary about Luke," Beru said when Owen didn't speak.

"What?" Obi-Wan asked, aghast.

"I didn't know they were filming it! They edited my words and made me say all sorts of stuff I didn't say. They came to get me because they want me to be a Storm Squadron pilot," Luke said, looking frustrated, though he suddenly seemed slightly awed. "And they said my mom was a senator – and a queen."

"They said his name was Luke Lars," Owen said. "That should keep him safe." Even though Owen said the words, he didn't sound convinced. It was clear Owen still didn't want Luke anywhere near Obi-Wan.

Obi-Wan merely shook his head. Things weren't apparently that easy or simple.

"No. He already knows," Obi-wan said to Beru and Owen. "He's coming." Beru looked petrified. Owen looked anguished. But he held his head high, seeming to come to a conclusion.

"The stormtroopers are here for Luke," Beru said, her eyes darting around radiating fear and helplessness. "Are they-?"

"They do not know and were not sent on his orders," Obi-Wan assured her.

"Ben, do you know what's going on? And who's 'he?'" Luke asked.

"Luke, there's no time for questions." It looked like it took every ounce of Owen's strength for him to say the next words. "Go with Ben." For years Owen Lars had done what he had felt was in Luke's best interest: namely not letting Obi-Wan anywhere near his nephew to prevent him from training Luke. And now, in one evening, he had to hand Luke over in order to save his nephew from falling into the Empire's hand. Obi-Wan was at least grateful that Owen realized that Luke was better off with him than with the Empire. "Go. We'll distract them," Owen said, squaring his shoulders.

Obi-Wan could tell that Owen hated the thought of giving Luke to him after all those years of keeping him safe from the "misguided" Jedi ways. But if it meant protecting Luke's life from Vader, then he obviously knew it was the only option.

For a moment, Obi-Wan thought about telling them to come with him, but Luke interrupted.

"Go? What? Go where?" Luke seemed just as stunned at his uncle's decision as Owen was in making it.

"It doesn't matter where: just away from here. Take your skyhopper," Owen said. And Obi-Wan understood. The skyhopper would only be able to fit two people. It was far faster than the speeder the Imperials had.

"But-"

"Luke, please trust us. You need to go with him. Right now," Beru pleaded.

"You better protect him with your life," Owen said, glaring at Obi-Wan as though daring him to say otherwise.

"I will," Obi-Wan promised. And he meant it. "We don't have much time. Owen, Beru – please forgive me, but this way they won't suspect you," Obi-Wan said before reaching out toward them. With the Force he brushed their minds and watched as they slumped to the ground unconscious. It was the least he could do for the Lars. Imperials were not known for their compassion, but he was sure they would be safer unconscious than trying to fight. Luke turned to him, horror on his face.

"What happened to – did _you_ just make them –" Luke spluttered.

"They are asleep," Obi-Wan interrupted, grabbing Luke's wrist, but Luke held firm and tugged back against Obi-Wan's grip. Luke was understandably reluctant to leave his aunt and uncle, and his Skywalker stubbornness was making him not want to go before he got his answers. Just like his father. "Luke, please, you must trust me. We need to leave now. If they are unconscious then they cannot be blamed for you leaving. Do you want them to be in trouble with the Empire?"

Luke looked at him, a mixture of disbelief and distrust on his face. Obi-Wan could see him trying to work out just what had happened to his aunt and uncle, completely oblivious to what the Force was capable of. How ironic that someone so powerful in the Force, the most powerful Obi-Wan had ever met, could be so ignorant of its presence. Clearly Luke thought what had happened was Obi-Wan's fault, but the logic Luke thought he knew could find no fault with Obi-Wan. It was for everyone's safety after all.

"Why are we running? Who's this 'he' that you think is after me?"

"I will explain on the way," Obi-Wan promised. For a moment, Obi-Wan thought Luke would argue with him, but instead he seemed to realize how important it was for them to leave. Blue eyes rested on his aunt and uncle. "They will be fine, but only if you leave with me now," Obi-Wan reassured him.

"Alright."

With a backward glance down the steps of the Lars homestead where the stormtroopers still lurked, unaware of what was going on above ground, they made their way out into the quickly cooling desert night. Luke started up his skyhopper at Obi-Wan's instructions while Obi-Wan made quick work at disabling both the Lars's and the Imperials' speeders.

He quickly strapped himself into the passenger seat as Luke raced off across the desert landscape.

In less than a minute they were off, racing into the distance. Another two minutes passed, and Obi-Wan could feel the surprise and anger of the stormtroopers as they discovered the Lars's inert bodies.

Luke turned to look at him.

"You said you were going to explain everything," Luke demanded, his face contorted in worry. Obi-Wan looked over at Luke. He hadn't promised everything – but he would explain what he could. And hopefully Luke could tell him what Beru had meant when she said that Luke had been in a documentary. The fact that Luke knew about his mother was not a good sign. If he had found out about his mother through a documentary, well that was likely how Vader had found out – and who knew how many others.

* * *

Vader clenched and unclenched his fists. His master's words rang in his ears. He'd had barely any time to make his own plans before Palpatine had changed everything. Luke was to be brought to the Emperor.

It seemed that whenever Vader wanted to deviate on his own, his master was there to stop him. Even though Darth Sidious rarely spoke of the master who trained him, Vader suspected it was something he had learned from his Sith master. Sidious guarded his Sith secrets with great jealousy, yet there was one mantra that Vader had learned had come from his master's master, Darth Plaguies. _"Tell me what you regard as your greatest strength, so I will know how best to undermine you; tell me of your greatest fear, so I will know which I must force you to face; tell me what you cherish most, so I will know what to take from you; and tell me what you crave, so that I might deny you."_

Once more his master had taken his hope from him. The strength he had against his master would be in gaining his own apprentice. He feared losing those close to him, or rather those who belonged to him. And as much as he hated to admit it, he would cherish having a family once more; he certainly craved it. As always, Palpatine was one step ahead of him, taking that which would make him stronger, which would make him more powerful. Vader was powerful. But never powerful enough to defeat his master.

Vader would do as his master wished…for now. Until then, he would deal with the loose ties that had begun to unravel, the threads he saw in the Force that his master saw as too inconsequential to pursue.

His musings were interrupted when Daine Jir reported to him with the data he had requested. His spies had acquired the information quickly; the reporters who had made the documentary about his son were currently on Tanna's homeworld.

"Commander," Vader said, handing the datapad back to Daine Jir. "I want reporters Shell-Mar Tanna and Mirax Antilles found and brought to me. Contact the Fleet Admiral closest to the Stewjon system and tell him to obtain the two women for questioning."

"Milord, what about the Rebel activity in Sullust?" Daine Jir asked.

"That is no longer our priority. We are heading to the Tatoo system. In the mean time, have those reporters found. I want to question them myself."

* * *

"What do you mean 'it appears he's been _kidnapped_?'" Tour asked Lieutenant Tehax in disbelief.

"It was a neighbor – they knew him! We didn't expect him to be dangerous; he was just an old man. We gave them privacy as they asked. When I went to check on them, both

Owen and Beru Lars had been knocked unconscious, and Luke is missing along with the visitor."

"Go after him!" she hissed. She could not believe her own troops had failed her. They had never had such a large blunder before, and she couldn't believe that their first one was when it mattered the most.

"Our speeder was disabled. We are currently fixing it, though it won't do much good. They were in a skyhopper. I called the local spaceports to inform them to stop any skyhoppers coming their way."

"We need to treat this as a hostage situation. We need that boy back. Lord Vader is coming here and expects that he will be in our custody. He even hinted that someone would try and abduct the boy."

"Darth Vader?" Lieutenant Tehax asked, swallowing. One of his friends from the Imperial Academy had once been aboard Darth Vader's flagship. According to his friend, all the terrible rumors that people said about Vader's powers and abilities apparently weren't even close to explaining the horrors of the actual truth. A chill swept through him. He was fairly certain as to what would happen to him if he didn't do as Darth Vader wished. Vader did not accept failure. "I understand. I will do whatever it takes."

"You better."

The governor's call was cut off. What had appeared to be a special mission, nice and easy to offer a placement to a deserving boy, had gone terribly, horribly wrong.

* * *

"That was you they were talking about, wasn't it?" Wedge asked, turning to stare at Biggs.

Biggs was speechless. He couldn't believe what he'd just seen. He had to be dreaming. There was no way this was real.

"It's a lie. They – they must have done something to make him say all that. Luke does _not_ love the Empire," Biggs said vehemently. "The only reason he wanted to join the academy was to fly."

"He probably couldn't say he hated it because he was being interviewed by people from the Empire," Karsk said wisely.

"Yeah, but I thought my cousin might have found something to help us…" Wedge said, sounding deflated.

"They made Luke say things he would _never_ have said. And that scene with him ripping off his shirt? What nonsense! I know he has loads of bandages in the back of the speeder. Your cousin seems to be more on the Imperials side than ours," Biggs said, finding it hard to find sympathy for Wedge's cousin with how she'd made his best friend look.

"Yeah, I thought that part was odd. Well, we already know the Empire's people are lying scumbags. I mean, they said you were 'dedicated to serving the Empire.' What a load of bantha poodoo," Hobbie said, smirking at his use of the Huttesse term Biggs had taught him. But it didn't help lighten the mood, at least not for Biggs. Biggs felt his chest tighten. He knew that Hobbie would believe that he wasn't an avid Imperial supporter as the holovid had hinted at considering Hobbie had jumped ship with him, but Biggs didn't know about the rest of the people in the Alliance. Not to mention he was worried about Luke. His mind ran rampant trying to figure out why Luke would possibly agree to an interview like that. What would happen to his friend?

"Your best friend's not a prince, is he? I mean, did he ever tell you that?" Wedge asked, thoughtfully. He looked disturbed, obviously upset that his cousin was trying to appease the Imps rather than oppose them as he'd thought. At least the rest of the squadron seemed to have taken the documentary for what it was: lies. But still, Biggs felt almost trapped because of something he hadn't even been a part of. When he didn't answer right away, Wedge continued. "My cousin Mirax is apparently related to the Antilles on Alderaan. She's something like the Princess's fifth cousin twice removed," Wedge added thoughtfully.

"With that nonsense she pulled, I would have removed her from the family more than twice," Hobbie said darkly. Wedge winced.

"Luke? A prince! Ha. They didn't even get his name right. He's Luke Skywalker. Lars is the surname of his aunt and uncle," Biggs said, at least finding something he could explain away. He wondered why they had fabricated in that last bit about him being related to that senator though. Perhaps better ratings?

"Skywalker? As in related to _Anakin Skywalker_? The greatest pilot in the galaxy?" Karsk asked, stunned.

"Yeah, something you're not. That shot from today's mission was totally Biggs'. You're no ace," Hobbie quipped, shaking his head.

"I'm serious. Is he related to _the_ Anakin Skywalker?" Karsk asked, ignoring Hobbie.

"Yeah, I think so. That was the name of his father. He was a navigator on a spice freighter," Biggs said.

"Wait just a second! Don't you know who _Anakin Skywalker_ is?" Karsk said, his mouth open.

"Should we?" Hobbie asked, crossing his arms. The rest of the men looked at him expectantly.

"He was the Hero With No Fear! The greatest pilot the galaxy has ever seen – and a Jedi!"

The words held a power to them that Biggs couldn't deny. Luke was indeed a great pilot, but to be related to a queen was just absurd. And to be related to the best pilot in the galaxy…? Biggs shook his head. Luke had always hero worshiped his dead father. It would almost make sense if his father really was the greatest pilot in the galaxy as it would explain Luke's natural flying capabilities.

"What's a Jedi?" someone asked. Karsk shook his head.

"They're a myth," Biggs said. "People who could supposedly use magic. There was an old hermit who lived on Tatooine that they said used to be a Jedi. He was called 'crazy Kenobi' or 'crazy old Ben' for a reason."

"You're kidding, right?" Karsk asked. They looked at him expectantly. For his part, he looked exasperated. "For starters, the Jedi were real, and they didn't use magic. They used the Force. And the Force is definitely real. Even Darth Vader uses it. And you know what? I bet Ben is an allias for the great General Kenobi – or at the very least a relative. It can't be a coincidence that he's living on the same planet with the son of Skywalker! And Anakin definitely knew Senator Amidala. He was the one who helped stop the blockade on Naboo from the Trade Federation."

"What are you talking about?" Wedge asked, rubbing his head.

"Don't you guys know anything about history?" Karsk asked.

"Not really my favorite subject. And if you haven't noticed, no one here believes the lies the Empire spurts out," Wedge said.

"Yeah, but this is history from _before_ the Empire. I remember the exploits from when I was a kid. This is stuff that happened that no one is allowed to talk about anymore. Part of the reason I hate the Empire. They hid all this stuff from those who didn't already know it. Have I got stories to tell you!"

* * *

"She was a queen at fourteen? And then she decided to become a senator?" Luke asked, totally amazed. He didn't know anyone capable of ruling a planet let alone a fourteen year old, and yet apparently his own mother had. He felt like he had a lot to live up to. Hopefully no one expected anything of him. The thought and novelty of being "Prince Luke" had quickly faded. There was no way he wanted that kind of responsibility. Thankfully Ben had told him that she was _elected_ as queen which, thankfully, didn't really make him a prince. It was still a lot to take in though.

"Yes. She was a very intelligent woman."

Luke scratched his head, feeling embarrassed. He wasn't anything like that; just a moisture farmer, and a poor one at that. But his dad had been a navigator on a spice freighter, so maybe that didn't matter to her.

"Did you know her?" Luke asked. "Personally?"

"Yes. She was a very kind woman. Actually, I knew your father better."

"You knew my father?" Luke asked, excited. "Did you work on one of the freighters my father navigated for?"

"Your father was a Jedi Knight, same as I was." Luke merely shook his head.

"He was a navigator," Luke said.

"That's what your uncle told you. No, he was a Jedi, a cunning warrior…and a good friend. Not to mention the best starpilot in the galaxy. I heard you're a pretty good pilot yourself. Now I'm seeing it for myself." He nodded to Luke's flying. "It appears the Empire has heard the same about you from the documentary." Apparently there was a lot Luke didn't know about his own parents. Luke found it hard to believe that his mother was all the things Ben claimed that she was. It shattered all the images he'd ever had of her. He'd always pictures his mom more like his Aunt Beru. But somehow Luke had never been able to picture his father like Uncle Owen. He'd always thought his father might be something more, and hearing that Ben considered him the best starpilot was something Luke had instinctively known. But he didn't know what a Jedi was. He thought they were just some weird people old folks used to tell made up stories about. Then again, people had said that Ben was a crazy old wizard, so maybe he could use magic.

"What is a Jedi?" Luke asked.

"The Jedi were peace keepers," Ben explained.

"I thought they could do magic…" Luke wondered thoughtfully. Ben chuckled.

"No. The Jedi use the Force."

"The Force?"

"It's an energy field that gives a Jedi his power. It gives him certain abilities. It is these abilities that set the Jedi apart. The Emperor became wary of the Jedi, fearful of them, so he ordered their death. _You_ have the capability to use certain special abilities by accessing the Force which is why exposing you before you know how to use them could mean your death."

Special abilities? The Force? His _death_? What was the old man talking about? If Ben was trying to be reassuring, it wasn't working. In fact, it gave Luke a very bad feeling. It was one thing for them to say that someone was after him because his mother was special – or even his father. But for Ben to imply that someone would be after him because he was supposedly able to use this Force? That was just –

The scanner blared to life, indicating an approaching ship was coming in fast.

"It appears we've been noticed. They won't want you to leave."

"I don't understand this! I'm just Luke," Luke replied miserably. Aunt Beru had always said to be careful what he wished for. He'd been wishing so long for more excitement in his life. Now he wasn't so sure he wanted it. "That's it. I'm taking them through Beggar's Canyon. They shouldn't be able to follow me through there," Luke said.

"Let's hope you're right."

* * *

"Do you think this Luke Lars could really be Amidala's son?" Mon asked, her blue holographic form coming in fuzzier than usual. Bail Organa didn't know how to respond. He knew that the boy, who was actually Luke Skywalker, was indeed not only Amidala's son, but the son of Anakin Skywalker. The son of Darth Vader. He had no idea how he was going to explain to her why they needed to locate the boy before the Empire did. He wasn't sure he believed all that was said in the documentary, but if Luke really wanted to become a pilot...the thought of him stumbling upon Vader accidentally in the Imperial Navy was horrific. If his piloting skills were as impressive as his father's, Bail wouldn't be surprised if Luke managed to find himself under the attentions of the head of the Navy himself. And that was something Bail could _not_ let happen.

"I do. I promised her that I would take care of her children if anything should happen to her. We need to get into contact with Luke as soon as possible," Bail said delicately.

"He seems to be disillusioned in favor of the Empire. Amidala would have been horrified," Mon Mothma said with distaste.

"Which only means Luke needs to be found and enlightened as soon as possible. The thought of the Emperor or Darth Vader getting their hands on Luke is disastrous."

"You think the Emperor might kill him? Amidala's death was always suspicious, but I didn't think the baby had survived. If she had been assassinated on the Emperor's orders, I would have thought they would have made sure the child was dead."

"Mon, you have to trust me on this. Even if the boy feels any sort of loyalty to the Empire, we need to find him and hide him. Obviously someone wanted him to stay hidden out of harm's way. And with what Padme hinted at, I believe Luke may be strong in the Force, which means he needs to stay out of Vader's grasp," Bail said, careful of his words.

"Does that mean the boy could be trained as a Jedi?" Mon asked, surprised. Bail nodded, feeling relief that Mon seemed to finally understand Luke's importance without telling her everything. Perhaps he would the next time he saw her in person, but he couldn't risk it, not even over a supposedly secure connection.

"I have already sent a small team to bring him to us," Bail explained.

"We cannot just kidnap him if he doesn't wish to become a Rebel," Mon pointed out.

"I'm well aware of that. But as an old friend of Amidala's, I'm hoping he will consider speaking with me so I can tell him about his mother and her true wishes and ideology. While I'd be thrilled if he joined us, no one says he is obligated to help our cause. I'm currently trying to contact the Naberrie family to see if they will invite him to stay with them or perhaps other relatives. His cousin, Pooja, is currently serving as the senator from Naboo. She is friends with my daughter. I'm hoping that Leia will also be of some help to persuade young Luke that the Empire isn't all that he believes it to be."

"Very well. Bail, keep me informed of the situation. I have a bad feeling about this."

Bail merely nodded as the comm feed ended.

Bad feeling? He had a horrible feeling about everything, especially since he had been unable to contact the Naberrie family or Obi-Wan Kenobi. What made matters worse was that on his second attempt to contact Pooja Naberrie, her assistant had informed him that she would be unable to return his call until after she had seen the Emperor. The thought that she was meeting with the Emperor left him fearing the worst.

He only hoped that the reason he was unable to contact Obi-Wan was that he was currently handling the situation from his end. He had to trust that Kenobi would take care of the situation until his men arrived to help hide Luke from the Empire…again.

* * *

**Next Chapter: Possessing A New Hope**

Just as an fyi, the majority of the characters I have mentioned are canon characters, with several being from the Expanded Universe, and only three being original characters. Tour Aryon actually appeared in the original novelization of _A New Hope_. Daine Jir is the officer who says "Holding her is dangerous," and Gunnery Captain Bolvan is the one who reports to Vader that there were no life forms in the escape pods (both from Episode IV). And Captain Wermis is the Captain of the Devastator during Episode IV, but he is technically an Expanded Universe character as he does not appear in the movies. Lt. Tehax, Shell-Mar Tanna, and Mirax Antilles are the only original characters I have named so far.

Thank you all so much for your kind reviews! I really appreciate them. Hope you're all still enjoying this! ~ Jelp


	4. Chapter 4: Possessing A New Hope

I referenced a picture I found on Wookipedia to describe Luke's flight through Beggar's Canyon. Enjoy!

**Shooting Star**

**Chapter 4: Possessing A New Hope**

Luke had never flown in Beggar's Canyon at night before, but it didn't matter. From flying through the canyon so many times, he knew the unexpected twists and the sudden harrowing turns. The ethereal glow of the moons cast different shadows than the twin suns, and even in the midst of the danger he found himself in, Luke could appreciate the simple beauty. He was in his element. The documentary about him had all been made of lies and twisted what he loved: except flying – this was what he felt to be right.

The shadows from the canyon walls flickered by, making the turns harder to see, but Luke didn't bother turning on his lights. The scanner showed that he was being followed from a good distance as the two ships attempting to hone in on him seemed too wary to follow at the same breakneck speeds. More ships were approaching on his scopes, and he knew sooner or later they were going to try and block him in. Until then, he dropped lower into the canyons, hoping to outmaneuver the two on his tail. He remembered when he was younger how he and Biggs pretended to race through here like the podracers used to. Perhaps now he would get that thrilling race he'd always dreamed about.

"They're not firing," Luke said relieved, checking the scopes and noticing that they didn't even appear to have their weapons locked.

"They want you alive," Ben said simply.

"Yeah, but they have ion cannons. One hit, and we get taken alive," Luke pointed out. Ben shook his head.

"They must not trust their aim. If they hit the canyons' walls the debris from the blast could take out your ship. Not to mention if they disable your ship you might crash since there is very little room to maneuver in the canyon," Ben explained.

"Ah." That thought hadn't occurred to Luke. The thought of crashing head first into the rock walls wasn't something he wanted to experience. Still, it didn't matter if the other pilots trusted their firing skills. Luke trusted his. And if they didn't trust their own flying abilities to come after him, then Luke was going to give them a run for their money.

Several more ships flew in from the northeast, flying so close together that it would be hard to escape them. They were doing a damn good job of cornering him. If he left the safety of the canyon then they could easily fire upon him with their ion cannons without fear of having him crash into the canyon walls even without controls. As it was, the approaching ships merely had to fly overhead and wait above the canyon, or wait at the notch where he would be forced to exit the canyon, and then fire when he had a clear area to land.

Luke pushed the thrusters to the maximum as he came near Dead Man's Turn. The pilots behind him likewise increased their speed. He hoped they thought that he was increasing his speed because there would be a straight path ahead of them, not knowing about the deadly turn. At the last moment, he cut the throttle and used reverse thrusters into the turn. The ships behind him overshot the area above his ship. The canyon was too narrow to actually turn around, so instead of worrying about it, Luke used his reverse thrusters to fly backwards through the valley. In the time it took the two ships to turn around to chase him, Luke was flying backwards out of the safety of the canyon's channel over top of the rocky, but flat mesa.

"What're you doing?" Obi-Wan asked, looking a bit nervous with Luke's decision to fly out in the open where he'd be a clear shot.

"With those two over-shooting the canyon, this is our only chance to get out of the area without them detecting us." He used a trick that he'd only ever heard about from listening to Biggs and Tanks talk about issues the Empire had when dealing with smugglers. Luke cut his ion engines and turned off the power to his weapons, using the undetectable power signature of his repulsorlifts to hover over the mesa. Slower for sure, but it would mean the pursuing ships' scopes couldn't pick up his power signature.

"Clever," Ben said appreciatively. "Powering down usually does work in escaping an enemy's notice. I used it while running from a bounty hunter in an asteroid field above the nearby planet of Geonosis. Tell me Luke, what do you know of the Clone Wars?" Ben asked. Luke merely looked at the old man. Perhaps he had spent too many days in the heat of Tattoo I and Tattoo II, but Luke was pretty sure now was not the time to discuss the Clone Wars.

"Not much," Luke said. He changed the subject from the past to the future. "I'm going to fly straight across the mesa using the repulsorlifts. Without the lights, they shouldn't be able to see us unless they get right on top of us. I'm hoping they think I landed somewhere in the canyon. There's a small settlement of houses to our south, but if I head east, I can cut back into Beggar's canyon on the other side of the Diablo Cut right by the Stone Needle. If they do follow us, I can out fly them, no problem."

"Head slightly northeast," Ben murmured.

"What? Why? It'll take us closer to the Diablo's Cut than we want," Luke said, frowning. That would take them farther from the Stone Needle where Luke's best tricks would be able to get rid of the pursuing ships.

"There are Tuskens east and southeast. You don't want them shooting at you and revealing your position, do you?" Ben asked. Luke frowned. It made him uncomfortable, wondering how the old man knew that sandpeople would be there. He decided not to question it though.

They flew for a while without anyone seeming to notice where they had gone, the sand kicking up minimally as they flew by. To pass the time, Luke scanned the area for womprats out of habit.

Luke's eyes darted nervously to his scanners, seeing that there were more ships coming in from the northwest. They headed along the general line of the canyon's trenches, but they hadn't started heading toward him. Yet. However, another group of ships appeared on his scanners coming in east directly toward their general location. He couldn't believe the number of ships coming after him!

"Blast it," Luke growled.

"Keep going. They can't have realized where we are yet. We've been running them in circles, and they are going blind," Ben reminded him.

"Yeah..."

Luke increased the speed, his eyes darting over the landscape as Ben did the same. They were both silent as Luke concentrated on getting closer to the Stone Needle where they could escape across the desert dunes without being detected.

A beeping noise indicated the presence of a quickly approaching ship. Luke squared his shoulders. This was just like racing with Biggs, he told himself. All he had to do was win the race, and everything would be okay. No problem.

The other ship was quickly gaining on them, making a direct beeline for Luke's skyhopper.

"You'll have to turn your ion engines back on," Obi-Wan noted.

Luke really didn't like that idea, but he had already come to the same conclusion. It was almost inevitable that they would be cornered if he turned them on too soon and the other pilots were notified of his location. He had taken a risk going out in the open like this; if he turned his engines back on while flying across the mesa they would be able to target him without fear of him crashing into the side of the canyon, making it far easier to capture him.

But that was it, wasn't it? Why were they trying to "capture" him in the first place? Could he really outrun all of these ships? The Imperials had only offered him a position as a pilot, and he had run like he had something to hide. While he believed in his own capabilities to outfly the other pilots, he knew there was only so long he could keep this going. Already his fuel reserves were starting to run lower than he would have liked.

"Look, is it really that bad if we get caught? I mean, I don't think they want to hurt me. And it makes it seem like I've done something wrong by running like this," Luke said slowly. Not that his pride really liked the idea of getting caught on what he thought was his turf, but logically he wasn't sure why he was suddenly so popular a target.

"These men do not want to hurt you, but if you are thrust into the heart of the Empire, you will be in grave danger. Just being the son of a Jedi will -"

His voice cut off as Luke made an abrupt turn to the right.

"Blast it! He's almost on us," Luke grumbled. He turned on his ion engines, pushing the throttle and raced toward the canyon's edge, feeling the antique repulsorlifts in his skyhopper shudder as he flew higher. He shot off the top of the mesa, heading back into the dip of the canyon. They weren't going to make it cutting across the top of the canyon from the Stone Needle to make Ere Crater Valley. Better to take his chances going through the canyon to prevent the other ships from shooting at him.

He'd dipped into the ravine closer to Diablo's Cut than the Stone Needle, but it didn't matter. The other pilot was following him, and Luke was going to lose him. This was his territory.

Luke might not understand why people were after him or why he needed to leave rather than face what was going on. He definitely didn't know anything about being the son of a senator and a queen. Heck, he didn't even know what a Jedi really was or what they – or he – was capable of. What he _did_ understand was that this was _his_ turf, and he had a reputation to uphold.

He wasn't ready to be out flown. After all, he was one of the few people who could thread the needle.

Luke's knowledge of the intimate twists and turns of Beggar's Canyon helped him circumnavigate the channel easily. He picked up speed, knowing that he was at the advantage since the other pilot was merely mirroring his moves in order not to crash. Luke slowed down, allowing the other pilot to catch up before pulling some simple stunts to see if the pilot was shadowing him move for move. He noticed on his scopes that the other pilot's ship was much larger than his, which suited Luke just fine. As the Stone Needle got closer, Luke started doing some erratic flying, making it look like he was doing evasive maneuvers. The pilot behind him continued to stick on his tail.

"Alright, let's do this," Luke said. His entire focus was on the needle as he soared near it, grateful that it was visible in the moonlight – but not too visible for the other pilot. His ship was barely small enough to clear the opening; he didn't think the other pilot would chance it.

He swept right and then left, soaring effortlessly through the needle, soaring out unharmed through the other side. The pilot following him had foolishly tried to the same trick. Luke could hear the horrible screech of metal on rock as the other pilot wasn't so lucky. Luke heard two distinct crunches – one he suspected to be the pilot's wing, the other most likely the top of the ship.

The ship would crash, but Luke had the strangest feeling the man would be fine anyway. Luke felt elated, hoping his father would have been proud of his flying, thinking back on Ben's words at how his father had been the best starpilot in the galaxy. Luke let out a triumphant whoop as he soared back out of the canyon, a celebratory sound that came far too soon.

"Look out!" Ben warned, but it was too late. The damaged ship had either not cared about hurting Luke in the end due to Luke's stunt, or thought he'd had a clear shot once Luke had cleared the top of the canyon. Luke could feel his skyhopper's power controls dying as the ion blast froze everything; he could do nothing but prepare himself for the crash landing on the rocky mesa surface.

* * *

The Force rippled as though someone had called out to him warmly in greeting. For an instant he thought he heard Obi-Wan's voice following the greeting, telling him to look out like he had so many times. But there was an answering, unfocused ripple in the Force. What was strange was that the other feeling felt extremely _powerful_. There was a burst of fear and brief flash of anger, strengthening the raw power. It felt even stronger than Obi-Wan had.

Commander Jir had been speaking with him on the bridge, but Vader held out a hand. He relaxed into the Force. It was now difficult to sense the presence of his former master, though he had felt it briefly. The other presence had been so strong in its anger before being dampened down again – by Obi-Wan.

Now that he was aware of his son, Vader wasn't sure how he had missed the burning Force presence: the strength of which rivaled his own! There was no mistaking it; that was his son. But it was being dampened down.

Incensed, Vader realized Obi-Wan was with Luke right now. Obi-Wan was hiding _**his**_ son.

Obi-Wan had stolen his child and was training him! Why Vader hadn't made the connection before, he could only assume was due to his initial shock. Obi-Wan had to have Luke; it was the only logical reason as to why Vader had never been able to feel any sort of disturbance in the Force; someone was hiding the boy.

But no, that wasn't quite right. Luke had been raised by the Lars, not Obi-Wan according to the documentary. It was also obvious his son had not yet been trained – not yet being the key part. While his strength in the Force was impressive, there was something about his mannerisms that lacked the air of a trained Jedi. The only explanation to Obi-Wan's presence was that the Jedi must have gone to retrieve Luke once he saw that the Lars had allowed Luke to be exposed. But did that mean that Obi-Wan had not known about his son all along? Had Padme lived long enough to hide him away there? Or was Obi-Wan merely watching over Luke? Vader should know these things about his own son's past! The rage he felt at Obi-Wan's presence gave him focus. Gave him purpose. He would have his son and his revenge!

"Sir," Commander Jir asked. Vader merely held up his hand again. Captain Wermis came up next to Jir warily. He drew in the man's fear, using it to sharpen his focus. Vader had a brief glimpse of Tatooine's barren landscape, but that was all the Force vision gave him. He turned his attention back to the two men present.

"Milord," Commander Jir said even as he looked to see if Captain Wermis would interrupt.

"News from Tatooine?" Vader asked wearily.

"Governor Aryon has not answered her comm," Commander Jir explained. Not surprising as it appeared that Obi-Wan was now somehow involved.

"Notify me immediately when she answers. Yes Captain?" Vader prompted, turning his attention from the Commander to the other man.

"We're refueling and stopping for the necessary supplies as planned. We will be ready for the final jump to Tatooine in less than eight standard hours."

Vader had almost bypassed the necessary regulations in favor of retrieving his son posthaste, but that would have raised too many suspicions. Even so…

"Do it in less than five, Captain," Vader ordered. The Captain merely nodded before walking away.

Soon he would have his son, and together they would be unstoppable.

* * *

"Would you like some kreetle, Senator Naberrie?" Emperor Palpatine asked, gesturing toward one of the many plates laid out before him and his two guests. Palpatine watched as Moff Panaka looked at the kreetle dish disinterestedly before averting his eyes. It was a Nubian food that usually only gungans preferred: not humans. And while Panaka was not one to outwardly show much emotion, his distaste was evident, even if Palpatine already knew the other man was not a fan of gungans. The subtle reaction made Palpatine smile inwardly while he waited for Pooja's response. He knew Panaka well enough to predict his reactions. It was the young senator he was unfamiliar with.

"No thank you, your highness. I've never been fond of them," Senator Pooja Naberrie answered politely. She sipped her drink delicately. Her face was the picture of calm, but Palpatine could tell her stomach twisted with anxiety.

"Strange, isn't it, how the kreetle came to Naboo. Stowed away on a Tatooine ship and immigrated to the planet," Palpatine said softly, watching the woman for any signs of reaction to the mention of stowaways and Tatooine. She seemed puzzled and hesitant, but there was nothing to indicate she had any idea what he was talking about.

Which was a pity. He had half been hoping to have a reason to kill her. Not that he necessarily needed a reason if he wanted to have her killed. But he would be patient. This would work to his advantage, even if he wasn't particularly fond of Padme's niece. Then again, he enjoyed having Panaka's loyalty. Having Pooja killed might upset Panaka. Panaka had always taken King Veruna's death too hard, and it had caused an irritating side-effect that he had become overprotective of Amidala during her rule as Queen and senator. By default, that protectiveness had transferred to her niece. Though Palpatine planned to use that to his advantage. If Panaka felt any sort of protectiveness toward Pooja, who was merely Padme's niece, then imagine how he would feel about Amidala's own son?

How ironic that as his ultimate weapon was nearly complete, that the Force would reveal a boy who could be trained, molded, and made into a younger, stronger, and of course, healthier Sith apprentice! The fact that it was the son of his current Sith apprentice and the woman who had been a thorn in his side for so long only made the eventual victory that much sweeter. Not only would he have a new terrifying super weapon, he would have an even more powerful Sith apprentice by his side.

He would need to ensnare the boy's loyalty lest Vader attempt training the boy himself. Holding the boy's loyalties would keep Vader tempered and prevent them from joining together to overthrow him. Already he had made brief contact with Vader, telling him only to retrieve the boy while forbidding Vader from telling the boy about the true identity of his father. Having his apprentice keep silent about his and Luke's relationship would help minutely: if Vader did as he asked. Palpatine would not be surprised if Vader found a way to disobey his orders, even if his apprentice would not do so outright.

Treachery was the way of the Sith after all.

Palpatine knew he needed to act quickly. While killing the boy was a tempting thought, if Vader ever found out it had been by his hand, his apprentice might do something suicidal to exact revenge which would result in both their deaths. Palpatine had not yet uncovered the Sith secret to ultimate immortality for that option to be explored. Letting the boy live while subtly schooling him in the darkside, yes, that foreseeable future pleased him. It would appease Vader and ensnare a new youth.

It always amazed him what parents would do to ensure their children's welfare. He had to admit he was grateful that others decided to reproduce as he had no qualms about using children to manipulate their parents. It was wonderful how manipulating one family member could result in manipulating another. In fact, that was the reason he had invited Senator Naberrie to lunch. Palpatine smiled serenely and turned his attention back to his guests.

Pooja looked remarkably like her late aunt, and Palpatine would relish using her in order to gain young Luke's loyalty to him instead of the boy's own father.

"I never did understand why your aunt refused to remain the Queen of Naboo. The people certainly wished for her to stay on the throne, so much so that they believed her own children would become great rulers. Certainly it would have been beneficial for her and your family if she had decided to remain queen. With her as the head of the dynasty, it would have been very prosperous for your family – and of course any children she might have. Did you know that the governmental provisions state that it is legal to reinstate the monarchy if a suitable person is found to start the dynasty?" Palpatine pointed out with a smile. Of course Palpatine knew that Pooja knew this. He was sure she even knew he was well aware the reason Padme hadn't wanted to become queen permanently was because of her pathetic attachments to the ideals of democracy. "What do you think she should have done?"

Pooja looked thoughtful. Clearly she wanted to say her next words carefully. For many years now, the queen who had appointed Pooja as senator had pretended to be nothing but a loyal Imperial citizen, while secretly holding onto democratic ideals. Naturally Palpatine knew the current queen, Queen Kylantha, felt sympathetic to the insignificant band of rebels scattered across the galaxy. Palpatine also suspected Pooja felt the same. Even so, he didn't expect her to actively speak out against him, even if she thought differently on the matter. The way that Pooja hesitated in her answer confirmed what Palpatine already knew: that she too was the same as the queen who had appointed her; she would portray the perfect Imperial Senator while secretly wishing for the ways and ideology of the Old Republic.

"Perhaps she felt better able to serve her people as a senator," Pooja said.

A vague answer. Revealing nothing about her beliefs on the matter – yet revealing everything that Palpatine needed to know. Pooja was not her aunt. She may harbor distaste toward some of his Empire's practices, but she would not actively act out against him.

"Perhaps," Palpatine conceded doubtfully, smiling internally. "But I still think she and her descendants would make better monarchs than Queen Kylantha." Moff Panaka smiled thinly, nonverbally showing his agreement.

"Your highness?" Pooja prompted, confused.

"I'm sure you feel some loyalty toward Queen Kylantha as she appointed you as senator. But be honest. Wouldn't you feel better knowing your aunt's heir was on the throne? Your family ruling in addition to your service as a senator would be even better, yes?" Palpatine asked. Pooja seemed to relax. Again, it revealed how little she truly knew about the current situation. At least it meant that she had not been a part of it. Of course, what she didn't know was that she was about to become a key part of his plans.

"Theoretically speaking, of course it would have been nice for one of my cousins to be on the throne. If my aunt had lived to have children, I'm sure they would have turned out beautifully. But as my aunt died along with the hope of any children she may have had, obviously starting with the death of the child she carried-"

"But he didn't die," Palpatine said, smiling. He watched the way Pooja's lips pursed in mid motion, watched the way her head tilted to the side in confusion. The reaction from Panaka was one of utter attention. Amidala's death had rattled Panaka almost as much as King Veruna's assassination. While Panaka had not been head of her security at the time, he had taken her death personally. Perhaps because his nephew had been the head of her security at the time, Panaka had taken it _more_ personally having recommended the boy himself.

"Her child died with her," Pooja said, slowly, wisely seeing she had stepped into some kind of trap.

"Ah, well, I am sorry you didn't know and you had to hear it from me first," he said, not sounding sorry about it at all, "but your cousin, Luke, is alive and well. He was recently discovered! Imagine having been stolen from birth by the Jedi. He was hidden on Tatooine. To think of the treachery! But do not worry. I will personally help you to fulfill your desires to have your cousin on the throne. Already Darth Vader is going to retrieve the boy."

"I-" her words failed her, looking at Palpatine in confusion.

How he loved this part of playing politics! The subtle manipulations, forcing people to say things they didn't think would have any great effect, then forcing them to cling to their previous statements else appear to be liars, or worse, incompetent.

He did not tolerate incompetence.

"No need to thank me!" Palpatine said, grinning at her maliciously. "It is only natural that we would all want what is best for our homeworld. And as you have surely known, Queen Kylantha has never outwardly shown any direct means of being anti-Imperialist, but some of her actions have always left her motives in question. Her two terms ended long ago, and yet she has never stepped down nor has she declared herself outright as the head of her own monarchy. Her inability to act in such a manner means that she is not the strong, decisive leader our planet needs. For the time, I am demoting her to Vicereine Kylantha. She will remain as acting ruler until the time when Naboo's rightful King is ready to rule."

The words had the desired effect on Panaka. Panaka had always been a man of action, something that most of his fellow Nubians had never been able to relate to. This difference was the reason why Palpatine had chosen Panaka as the Moff to their homeworld sector of Chommell.

"Amidala's son is still alive?" Panaka asked, sounding about as delighted as the stoic man ever sounded. Then his face fell slightly even as Palpatine nodded. "But wasn't her husband..." Panaka trailed off. It had been Panaka who had told him of Padme and Anakin's secret marriage, going so far as to give him the contact information of the holy man who performed the ceremony. But no one knew exactly where Anakin Skywalker fell in terms of favor with Palpatine. Certainly anyone who had known Palpatine at the time had known that he had almost been grooming Anakin as a protégé of sorts. But "Anakin Skywalker's" reported death by defending the Jedi Temple made it sound like he had fallen out of favor with Palpatine.

"It is a blessing that her son was not influenced by the Jedi, the Jedi who led the boy's father astray." He left it there, not saying how he truly felt about that particular Skywalker. "However, for his own safety, your cousin is going by the name of Luke Lars. To reveal that he is related to a former Jedi, as you can understand, would be detrimental to his safety. You must not reveal that his father was Anakin Skywalker to anyone – at all costs."

Again, he watched as his words had the desired effect on Panaka. He would not put Amidala's son in harm's way. It was ingrained into him, even if he was no longer a bodyguard but rather the one who needed bodyguards. Pooja also seemed affected by this information. She did not want to lose her cousin now that she had learned about his existence.

"Of course," Pooja promised. Panaka nodded.

Palpatine smiled. They were among the few who would know that Anakin Skywalker was the biological father to Padme's child. With them promising their silence about this information, his plan would be almost too easy.

"Excellent!" Palpatine grinned at them.

"If I may, your highness. How is this possible? My cousin? Please, what do you know about him? Will I get to meet him?" Pooja asked, her cheeks flushed with excitement.

"I'm so glad you asked..."

**Next Chapter: Jedi**

* * *

Poor Luke. He has no idea that people are planning his life for him…or that he's been unofficially made king of a planet he's never even set foot on. :D Anyway, hope you're enjoying this so far! ~ Jelp


	5. Chapter 5: Jedi

**Shooting Star**

**Chapter 5: Jedi**

Luke groaned, feeling his muscles protest at the harsh landing. He was alive. He was grateful for that, despite the pain. Luke groaned and pulled blindly at the restraints that pressed into his chest. Despite the near pitch black around them, Luke could hear Ben deftly moving toward him.

"We need to move," Ben said, already helping Luke out of his seat. Luke watched fascinated as Ben took out a round cylinder. A blue beam of light extended from it. It definitely helped him to see better. They quickly grabbed what little rations Luke had stored in the skyhopper. Just as Luke was going to ask about the strange light, Ben thrust the blue beam into the metal of the skyhopper, slicing a large hole big enough for them to climb out of.

"My skyhopper!" Luke said dumbly, watching the metal fall away from his precious vehicle. Then he realized his foolishness. As he stepped out of the hull, he noted that it was a miracle they hadn't died. The moons' light reflected off the smoldering remains. Luke was crushed to realize his prized skyhopper, his one source of freedom on Tatooine, was completely demolished. Ben motioned for Luke to follow him toward the edge of the mesa. Hooking a cable to the end, Luke was amazed at the agility with which Ben careened down the edge of the cliff. Luke followed. Ben stopped at a ridge and began to precariously edge his way toward the left. Luke followed, feeling pessimistic and anxious.

He could hear ships flying nearby, obviously attracted by the crash. Luke felt his heart sink. They were going to be captured anyway. His skyhopper was wrecked, his aunt and uncle could be in a lot of trouble, heck, HE could be in a lot of trouble, and it hadn't made any difference. They were going to find him anyway.

"What do we do now?" Luke asked miserably.

"Get away from the wreck," Ben murmured.

Luke thought they were significantly away from it already, but he didn't argue. They continued to edge their way along the side of the canyon wall. Luke felt ridiculously exposed. The ships could see them if they happened to shine their lights their way.

Squinting, Luke noticed a small divot in the rock's surface. It was nothing, truly, but there was something about it that gave Luke the strangest urge to head toward it. What was even stranger was that that was where Ben was headed. Once they got to it, Ben turned sideways and slipped inside what was the unmistakable opening to a cave in the cliff. Luke followed. Ben had turned on a light (not the blue glowrod from before), showing an extensive network of caves.

"Brace yourself," Ben said. Luke didn't have a chance to say anything before an explosion, followed by several smaller rocks falling behind them, covering the entrance they had just come from.

"What was that?" Luke asked, though he had a feeling he knew. "The fuel tank...?"

"Must have caught a spark and exploded," Ben finished for him. "Hopefully our pursuers will believe we perished in the crash and not bother looking for us. By the time they are able to get close enough to the scene, the wind will have swept our footprints away, and the one entrance we came through is hidden."

"But how do we get back out?" Luke asked. But again, he had a feeling he already knew as he looked at the labyrinth of tunnels before them.

"This way," Ben said. Luke had the strangest feeling Ben had planned everything this way…

* * *

"Governor," Lieutenant Tehax said, feeling his entire body tremble as he spoke into the comlink.

"Do you have Lars?" she asked, her usual calm demeanor pierced with the desperation she felt at pleasing the dark lord. They all knew what would await them if they failed Lord Vader.

"It...it appears he was shot down. His ship exploded."

There was a long silence over the comlink. Usually Tehax would have said something sooner to make sure the line hadn't gone dead, but he could, sadly, understand this was not a usual circumstance.

"He can't be dead," Governor Tour finally said.

"The ship was utterly destroyed," Lt. Tehax explained.

"Did you find his body?" she asked.

"We haven't been able to get into the hull. The ship is still smoking and the metal too hot to explore it, but we're almost certain he didn't make it."

"Be one hundred percent sure! Sweep the area!" Tour demanded. She cut the line.

Governor Tour trembled, even as she attempted to take deep, calming breaths. If she were a lesser Governor, she may have thought to disguise someone as Luke Lars. Others may think Vader wouldn't know the difference, which might even be true, but she knew that somehow the truth would come out.

Still, if she presented the facts as a heroically tragic tale, then it might matter. They could use the publicity of Lars's death to the fullest. It might even be better this way…

"Milady," her assistant said, her voice strained. "We are receiving another demand for an update from Lord Vader's flagship."

Tour had dreaded telling Vader about losing the boy already, but that now seemed better than telling him of his death.

"Tell them about the kidnapping and of our pursuit. Nothing else," she said.

* * *

Luke was amazed that old Ben had managed to find a cave suitable enough for their shelter. It had two broken down moisture vaporators, and it was clear that whoever – or whatever – had lived there had long since deserted the area, but it still gave Luke an eerie feeling, especially considering that he was sure Ben hadn't known about it before. And what was even stranger was that Luke had looked at the opening to the cave mouth, thought maybe they should try there, before thinking himself delusional. That he and Ben were sharing the same delusions made Luke wonder if they'd both hit their heads during the crash.

As Luke used his work light to get the vaporators back online, he hoped they wouldn't really be staying in the cave long enough to need the water reserves in the vaporators.

"We'll have to wait here until they stop sweeping the area. They won't be able to pinpoint our location as the sands have already swept our footprints away. And I'm sure they won't be able to see or get to this cavern without looking directly at it," Ben said. He sounded so certain.

"Yeah, but even if we wait here, it's not like they're gonna leave the skyhopper there. If the people after me don't dismantle it, the Jawas will," Luke thought dejectedly. He hated the thought of his precious skyhopper becoming spare parts for the Jawas. Sighing, he wondered at the entire situation. He really didn't know what to make of everything. His entire life had been turned upside down because he had saved the lives of those two reporters. Immediately he felt guilty. He didn't mean that he wished they had died, but he wished they had treated his life with more respect.

"Chin up, young Luke. Help is on the way," Ben said, again sounding so sure. Luke shrugged. "In the mean time, why don't we get some rest?"

"Yeah, not much else to do out here," Luke said, listening as the vaporator whirled back to life. Using the bedroll he'd had on the skyhopper, Luke unrolled it, tossed and turned a few times before making himself comfortable enough to sleep. Sincerely doubting he would be able to sleep with all that he had learned and with all that had happened to him he was amazed to find himself feeling suddenly tired. The next thing he knew, his body felt blissfully heavy as he drifted off to sleep...

Obi-Wan looked down at his young charge. It was amazing at the differences yet similarities between father and son. Surely the impatience was there, though he doubted the life of a moisture farmer would seem exciting to anyone. He couldn't chalk up Luke's desire to get up and go solely to genetics as it was likely circumstantial. The piloting skills, however, were very similar. Anakin would have been proud.

The lack of confidence – now that was something Anakin never had trouble with. He was always so assured he was more important and more powerful than a regular Jedi. While Luke might feel confident with his flying skills, it was clear he had no desire to be some sort of powerful figure. It was a good sign in that he would not want to seek power. Luke, unlike Anakin, had never felt completely powerless like Anakin's slave upbringing. On the other hand, Luke did seem to have an almost hero-like worship for his father, and now it appeared Anakin would be sharing that hero worship with the boy's mother.

That was not a good sign. Obi-Wan pondered how he would build Luke's own self-confidence without tempting him to desire more yet giving him the right amount of confidence that he didn't seek out the safety of other, seemingly more powerful, individuals. Luke was now in awe of his mother's capabilities. It would only be too easy for Palpatine to use the supposed friendship he had had to offer Luke guidance. Obi-Wan would need to make Luke feel powerful enough that he didn't need to accept such offers while not making him feel like he needed to seek out more power. It was a hard mix to create. He sighed and laid down his own bedroll.

On the bright side, he had a few ideas of how to keep Luke busy tomorrow. With the boy's own admittance that there was nothing to do, Obi-Wan was going to take full advantage of immersing Luke into Force training in the morning.

* * *

Lt. Tehax inspected the wreckage himself. There was something off about the entire situation. He had already interrogated the pilot who had shot down the ship extensively. He explained how the other pilot, who they now expected to be Luke due to his skills, had flown through what the locals called the Stone Needle. The pilot insisted that he had shot the plane in a spot that would have only damaged their ship; not the people inside.

And after inspecting everything, double checking what remained of the skyhopper, Lt. Tehax actually agreed with him. He fervently hoped Lars was still alive. What made him hopeful was that the one piece of metal seemed to have come off the ship in too cleanly a cut. It was like someone had sliced it open rather than it exploding outward. Not to mention the explosion itself had been lessened than usual. A closed cockpit with a fuel tank exploding should have burst due to the amount of pressure build up in a sealed cabin. Yet the evidence suggested that the hull had been unpressurized before the explosion.

Tehax knelt down, looking at the piece of metal that appeared to be cut away. No vibroblade that he knew of could make such a clean cut through such a thick metal hull – not to mention with how quick it would have had to have been made between the time the pilot shot Lars' down and when it exploded. Tehax frowned. If he didn't know any better, he would think it was cut with a lightsaber like Lord Vader carried. Except he didn't know of anyone who carried a lightsaber other than Lord Vader. Except...except the Jedi the Dark Lord chased.

Lt. Tehax stood up straight and looked around the area.

"Trooper!" he said, looking at the nearest storm trooper. "Run a reference of a description we have of Lars's kidnapper against a list of wanted Jedi or their relatives."

Lt. Tehax felt a strange rush of excitement. It was very possible that Lars was alive and well after all! Even if he was in the clutches of a Jedi, then perhaps if he helped kill the Jedi involved, all was not lost. It made sense now why Darth Vader was involved. If a Jedi were trying to interfere, then clearly Lars was of greater importance than anyone was letting on. The Jedi scum was likely trying to kill off the boy.

"Sir, we're having difficulty with our equipment. There seems to be a large sandstorm near Bestine preventing proper communications."

"Try sending the signal through Mos Eisley. It's closer anyway."

"Yes, sir."

Tehax tried comming Governor Tour and explained his findings and relayed his suspicions. It took him several tries to reach her, and the signal was extremely poor.

"I thought - Lars knew - neighbor," Governor Tour said, frowning.

"He only said that he knew them. I didn't...I didn't check to see if they really did know him or not," said, flushing. He really hadn't thought anything bad would come of it.

"I will inform Lo- Vader of our -icions."

The comm. feed cut off. Tehax had a feeling they wouldn't be able to reach the ship with a sandstorm interfering so badly. But it didn't matter. It would mean giving him more time to find Lars and gather more information.

* * *

When Luke awoke the next morning, it was to a strange smell. He felt disoriented, having rarely woken up anywhere else other than his homestead. Still, he was only disoriented momentarily before he stretched and sat up. Evidence of a small fire was off to the side, but it had obviously died out. Which was a good thing because the heat of the fire would have made the already arid heat of the desert difficult to bear.

"What's that?" Luke asked, watching as Ben cut up something near the since quieted fire.

"Hubba gourd. I already took out the juice and decided to try and roast it. It didn't look the most appetizing to eat raw," Ben said, with a small attempt at humor. Luke had tried it before. It wasn't too bad.

"Why don't we just use our emergency rations?" Luke asked reasonably.

"It's best to save them until it is truly an emergency as we don't know how long we will be out here. Here we have some food readily available. I found a few things growing around the cliffs that we could eat," Ben reasoned.

Obi-Wan began to gently explain about using the available resources in any given situation. Luke nodded thoughtfully. Obi-Wan smiled thinly. If Luke had been raised in the Jedi Temple, lessons like these would have been some of the first he would have learned. But living in the desert, thankfully, meant Luke already knew these things, even if he had never had to practice them before. He hoped to ingrain the basic survival teaching on how to use his surroundings to Luke as best he could without sounding too overbearing.

Luke noted that the breakfast wasn't really all that bad; it just wasn't what he was used to.

"I have something for you," Ben said as they sat around in silence, Luke looking around him feeling antsy, wondering if people were out looking for them. He was glad that Ben had broken the silence. Luke watched as Ben pulled out a round cylindrical item.

"What is it?"

"Your father's lightsaber."

"My father's?" Luke asked as he took the item from Ben's outstretched hand. This had been his father's! He held the lightsaber away from him and pushed the button, amazed as it extended a blue beam of light like what Ben had used the night before. He moved it around fluidly, relishing in the feel of it in his hand.

"While we're waiting, I want to teach you to be a Jedi, like your father," Ben said. Luke pressed the button again, looking at Ben eagerly. To be like his father...

"What do I have to do?"

"Learn about the Force."

* * *

Gunnery Captain Bolvan gave a sigh as he looked at the Dark Lord, Darth Vader. His eyes darted over toward Captain Wermis. He knew that both he and Wermis didn't particularly like delivering news to the Sith Lord. It was one thing to deliver bad news – it was usually easier to realize if the information would upset him enough that it would cause death for failure. Not that Bolvan feared that. In fact, Bolvan had been demoted from captain to gunnery captain because of his outspoken disagreements with Lord Vader's orders. He always carried them out, but Darth Vader had made it quite clear that he did not wish to hear his thoughts on any situation unless specifically asked. Whereas he had been demoted, Daine Jir had been promoted to Commander due to his outspokenness and bluntness. It was clear no one could predict Vader's actions or whims.

However, as of late, Darth Vader had been somewhat more erratic and even more unpredictable. Bolvan was sorely tempted to ask about the sudden, unexpected course. Vader had originally ordered them to Sullust to take care of the rebels they knew to be there. Yet now they were heading to Tatooine, apparently to locate one person. It did not fit with what he knew about Darth Vader. The man would much rather fight than play escort.

Bolvan's eyes darted across the bridge to Captain Wermis whom Bolvan served directly under. It was amazing that the man had survived the past few days as Vader seemed to particularly enjoy using the Force to choke the captain. It kept Captain Wermis in constant fear that Vader would one day actually choke him all the way.

Over the past seven years while serving on the _Devastator_, Bolvan had come to appreciate and understand many of his lord's decisions. Though why Vader kept Wermis around, the bumbling coward that he was, Bolvan didn't understand. And even if he didn't like it, he now knew better than to verbally question Vader. He took a deep breath, remembering the feel of the constriction on his throat. Today had been the first time Vader had used the Force to constrict his breathing. He considered himself lucky to be alive. The fact that he hadn't been killed made him wonder if Vader didn't hate him as much as he had initially thought. Bolvan would be grateful once the construction on Vader's new flagship was complete. He would definitely not be asking for a transfer, and most of his men had agreed they would rather stay away from Darth Vader.

It was times like these that Captain Bolvan secretly wondered if Darth Vader was as fond of Captain Wermis as the Dark Lord was capable of being. As far as Bolvan could tell, Wermis was one of the few who had survived being choked so many times. Then again, if what they said was true, Darth Vader's mysterious powers fed off of fear. Perhaps it helped keep him strong...? Bolvan could only wonder as no one dared ask the Dark Lord straight out, not something like that: not even Commander Jir. That was why Bolvan did his best to keep his own fear in check lest Vader started choking him to feed off his fear.

He clearly remembered telling Darth Vader that there was no cure for the Falleens when the flesh eating bacteria had caused the devastation on Falleen. He had expected Lord Vader to agree with his directive of obliterating the entire planet, ridding not only the potentially dangerous bio-disease, but also taking out the entire, pig-head, self-conceited species with it.

Vader had surprised him by ordering him to only scorch the ground in the contaminated area with the _Devastator_'s turbolasers. It was strange to think that perhaps Vader wasn't the cold killer he had expected. There was a method to his madness, a method that only he appeared to be privy to.

But with their current situation as they headed to Tatooine, it amazed him that something Commander Wermis had apparently said concerning a holovid had affected Darth Vader to the point of such fury. He hadn't seen Darth Vader in such a rage for no apparent reason before. It was the first time he had found himself choked by Darth Vader. And he wasn't even sure that it had been truly an attempt on his life. Vader had merely choked him from answering. Something was happening. And what was more was that Vader hadn't acted on his rage. Instead his suppressed rage hung in the air, waiting to snap. And no one wanted to be around when that happened.

The fact that Lord Vader had not killed anyone recently despite his sudden increase in choking everyone had left people feeling more fearful than when he outright killed someone. There were bets going around on the _Devastator_ when its commander would snap.

They all wondered why mentioning a documentary about a young moisture farmer on Tatooine could cause Vader to act so irrationally. First Darth Vader had choked the captain near death then released him, demanding more information. The fact that the _Devastator _and its crew were now heading toward Tatooine made Captain Bolvan very uneasy. Very uneasy indeed. The only possible indication was that this boy was indeed the child of former senator Amidala. As far as he or anyone else on the crew had been able to determine, the senator had been loyal to the Emperor. In fact, if anything, the Emperor seemed to have been friends with her. But why it would affect Vader so personally was a mystery. But it wasn't a curiosity strong enough to risk his life. That wasn't part of his duty. If he risked his life doing his job, that was different.

Bolvan, unlike Wermis, was not afraid to deliver bad news. He didn't like it, but he didn't fear what might happen to him merely for delivering a message. He knew that if he feared delivering the bad news, then Vader would only draw out his fear. Better to die quickly than to be made a fool of like Wermis.

"My lord," Bolvan said, addressing Darth Vader.

"Captain," Vader acknowledged.

"Governor Aryon has finally answered our inquiries about her progress. They claim a sandstorm made communication sooner impossible. She reports that the boy in question has been kidnapped by a local the family knew. The people there have said the man is a 'crazy old wizard.' They believe his name to be-"

"Kenobi," Darth Vader snarled, though he seemed unsurprised. As always, it amazed Bolvan the information Vader knew before he even stated it.

"Yes, sir. Ben Kenobi."

"No," Vader said. "His name is Obi-Wan Kenobi."

"Obi-Wan Kenobi," Bolvan said, the name sounded familiar. "Wasn't he a Jedi?" Bolvan said looking down at the information displayed on the datapad he'd acquired. Apparently Aryon's people had come to the same conclusion.

"Yes. Tell the Governor that Luke is to be found at all costs but to proceed approaching the Jedi with great care. The Emperor himself has become involved and wishes the boy to be brought to him immediately. Unharmed."

"I will inform her," Bolvan said, wonderingly. The Emperor was involved? Then perhaps it was as he suspected; Emperor Palpatine must have had a deeper friendship…or perhaps _relationship_…with the former senator. And if a Jedi was somehow involved, then perhaps that was the reason behind Vader's anger, and if a Jedi was involved, their current mission was reasonable after all. He turned away thoughtfully, wondering why it felt like something was missing from the story.

Darth Vader watched as Bolvan went to carry out his orders, inwardly seething.

The Emperor had demanded Vader bring Luke back to Imperial Center as soon as possible. His master's demands still rang in his ears. The boy was to be trained as one of the Emperor's Hands, as per a vision the Emperor had had. Vader hadn't asked if the Emperor had seen the documentary, and he idly wondered if his master had known about Luke beforehand. In fact, Vader wondered if Palpatine had some of his people make the documentary. It was the kind of thing his master would do; put certain information out galaxy wide that would cause people to wonder if Luke could be the son of someone important, building up the hype around him, the air of mystery so thick to purposefully place him in the public spotlight before unleashing his plans without anyone the wiser.

Even now, the thoughts and whispers of his crew centered around their mission to Tatooine. His transmission to Governor Aryon had been private. However, it hadn't taken long before someone had pieced together that their mission had to do with retrieving a moisture farmer – though possibly the son of a former senator – from the documentary. After that, the only benefit that had come from his crew's knowledge was that he had been able to make a subordinate contact Governor Aryon to keep him updated.

But what really made Vader seethe was that the Emperor had specifically told Vader that he was not to reveal his relationship to Luke when he eventually made contact. Eventually. The Emperor, as always, had plans that he had not yet told his apprentice. Palpatine did not expect Vader to obtain the boy on Tatooine, that much was clear, but he did believe they would meet. Vader vowed to prove his master wrong and find Luke. And he would honor his master's wishes and not personally reveal that he was the boy's father. That did not mean he would not somehow find a way to plant the idea in the boy's head.

Luke was his son. _His_ flesh and blood. _His_ to train. _His_ to mold.

And not even the Emperor would possess what was rightfully his.

**To Be Continued...**

* * *

So sorry that it has been so long since my last update! Sadly, I'm not sure when I'll post the next chapter, but I do have scenes written for future chapters. For those who are also Naruto fans, two new stories uploaded today. For any Detective Conan fans, I have a separate account called JelpHasNails where I'll be posting those fics (only one loaded so far). For all solely Star Wars fans, hope you enjoyed the chapter! XD ~ Jelp


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